As with all personal injury claims in Arizona, those for dog bite injuries generally must either be settled or a lawsuit filed within a specified time after the incident. If this requirement is not met, the claim will be barred, and the victim will not receive compensation from the dog’s owner. Although there are a few exceptions to this rule, it is unwise to delay the proper presentation of a claim.
The timing requirement is referred to as a “statute of limitations.” For reasons that are too complicated to explain here, there are two statutes of limitation affecting dog bite claims in Arizona.
In the absence of circumstances that would stop the time from running, the latest a lawsuit can be filed is two years from the date of the incident. It is almost always preferable, however, to comply with the other limitation, which is a one year period.
In addition to statute of limitations considerations, practical problems can arise with delays in developing and presenting dog bit injury claims. Evidence can be lost, memories of witnesses fade and the dog’s owners may become more difficult to locate. |
