Yuma Dog Bite Lawyer

Were you injured in a dog attack in Yuma, AZ?

At Citrine Law, LLC, we help injured clients in Yuma, AZ understand their rights after a dog bite incident.

If someone else’s dog bit you in Yuma, our Yuma, AZ dog bite lawyer can identify the owner and the policy that covers the attack, obtain the animal control and medical records, document the wound at every stage of healing, and pursue compensation for your treatment, your lost income, and any permanent scarring.

Citrine Law, LLC is a bilingual firm whose clients in Yuma County are the people who were injured, never the carriers. Describe the attack and we will tell you which deadline applies to your claim.

Dog Bite Lawyer Yuma, AZ

Yuma County hospitals recorded 780 emergency department visits and 34 inpatient hospitalizations for dog bite injuries over a five-year period, according to Arizona health department discharge data. More than 70 percent of dog bite injuries statewide occurred in homes.

A dog bite case is a claim against the animal’s owner for the injuries the dog caused. Arizona does not require proof that the dog had bitten anyone before, or that the owner knew the animal was dangerous, which is what separates these claims from ordinary negligence. The money in dog bite claims almost always comes from a homeowners or renters policy rather than from the owner personally, so the carrier is the party we correspond with.

Types of Dog Bite Cases We Handle in Yuma

We represent people bitten in several settings around Yuma. The owner, the property, and the policy change with each one, and so does the evidence we secure first.

  • Bites to children. Children under 14 accounted for nearly a third of dog bite injuries in the Arizona hospital data, and open wounds to the lip, cheek, and face are among the most common diagnoses. A settlement for an injured child also requires a judge’s approval before funds are released.
  • Bites at a private home. Most attacks happen at a residence, often a friend’s or a relative’s. The claim is against the homeowners policy, not against the household, which is worth understanding before anyone decides whether to pursue it.
  • Attacks in public places. A bite on a sidewalk, in a park, or outside a business raises no question about whether the injured person was lawfully present, which removes one of the two defenses available to the owner.
  • Delivery and postal worker bites. Drivers and carriers are bitten on private property in the course of their work, and a workers’ compensation claim frequently runs in parallel with the claim against the owner.
  • Premises liability. A landlord who knew a dangerous dog was kept on the property can be responsible alongside the tenant, which matters when the tenant has no insurance.
  • Dog-caused falls. A dog that lunges, jumps, or runs loose can knock a person down without ever biting, and the resulting fractures are often worse than a bite wound.
  • Loose and stray dog attacks. Identifying the owner is the first obstacle, and animal control impound records are usually where that identification begins.
  • Catastrophic injuries. Severe attacks produce nerve damage, crush injuries to the hand, and disfigurement requiring staged reconstruction over several years.

Why Choose Citrine Law, LLC as My Dog Bite Lawyer in Yuma, AZ?

Attorney Credentials and Recognition

Cid R. Kallen founded Citrine Law, LLC and has been admitted to practice in Arizona since 2009. He is also admitted before the United States Supreme Court.

He has served as a commissioner on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission since 2013 and on the State Bar of Arizona’s Standing Appointments Committee since 2012, and he has belonged to Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association since 2006. He is a native speaker of English and Spanish, and this office handles matters in both languages.

Settlements in Injury and Premises Claims

Our case results include millions of dollars recovered for injured clients. Among them is a six-figure settlement against a national retail chain for injuries caused by hazardous property conditions, where the defense argued the injury was the visitor’s own fault, and a six-figure settlement for an injured child, where we handled the probate step and established a conservatorship so the funds were protected until adulthood. Both problems recur in dog bite files.

Scarring claims cannot be valued until a physician has described what revision surgery will involve, so we obtain that opinion before making a demand, the same way we would on any serious matter we take as a personal injury lawyer in Yuma, AZ.

What Is Important to Understand About a Dog Bite Case?

What Are Important Aspects of a Dog Bite Case?

An animal control report fixes the date, the dog, and the owner’s identity, and it is the first document a carrier asks for. Reporting a bite to Yuma County Animal Control or, inside city limits, to Yuma Police animal control creates that record and starts the quarantine file on the animal. We request both, along with any prior complaints about the same dog.

  • Photographs of the wound taken before it closes, because scarring is valued on what the injury looked like at each stage
  • The owner’s homeowners or renters policy, and the landlord’s policy where a rental is involved
  • Rabies and tetanus records for the dog and for you, since prophylaxis decisions depend on the quarantine result
  • Prior bites or complaints, which support a negligence theory even though the statutory claim does not require them
  • A record of who else may be responsible, such as a landlord, a dog walker, or a property manager

Preserving that material early matters more here than in a vehicle case, because a wound closes within days and the photographic record cannot be recreated afterward. The same principle applies to preserving evidence generally.

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Dog Bite Cases

Compensation in a dog bite claim covers both out-of-pocket loss and harm that carries no invoice. Wound care, reconstruction, and the long-term cost of a scar account for most of what is claimed.

  • Emergency treatment, wound repair, antibiotics, and any reconstructive or revision surgery a physician recommends
  • Rabies prophylaxis and follow-up, which is expensive even when the animal is later cleared
  • Lost income, including time a parent misses from work to care for an injured child
  • Permanent scarring and disfigurement, valued separately from the cost of treating the wound
  • Anxiety around dogs after an attack, documented and claimed like any other damages

Arizona holds a dog’s owner responsible when the person bitten was in a public place or lawfully on private property, and the owner’s knowledge of the animal’s temperament does not change that. Two defenses remain available. The first is that the injured person was not lawfully on the property. The second is provocation, and what qualifies as provocation is contested in nearly every case where it is raised. Where the claim rests on negligence rather than the statute, A.R.S. § 12-2505 reduces recovery by your percentage of fault instead of barring it. A landlord’s exposure is a premises liability question, and the duty owed to a person injured on someone’s property depends on why that person was there. Claims against anyone other than the owner rest on carelessness, so proving negligence means showing that the landlord or handler knew of the risk and did nothing. Identifying everyone responsible is part of the early work on the file. Severe attacks are valued as catastrophic injuries when reconstruction will continue for years.

What Is The Dog Bite Case Timeline?

The deadline is the first item to settle in a dog bite file, because two different ones can apply. Arizona’s dog bite statute creates the owner’s liability, and A.R.S. § 12-541 gives a claimant one year to commence an action on a liability created by statute. A claim built on the owner’s negligence falls under the two-year deadline that governs personal injury actions generally. A claimant past the one-year date can still pursue the negligence claim, but must then prove the owner was careless.

From there the file proceeds in the order any injury claim does. We open the claim and request the animal control, veterinary, and medical records while you remain under care. A demand follows once a physician can describe the scar and any revision surgery. Negotiation with the carrier comes next, and if the offer does not reflect the injury, the complaint is filed at the Yuma County Justice Center on West 2nd Street. A claim for a minor takes longer at the end, because the court must approve the settlement. Claims against a city, county, or state agency have much shorter deadlines than either of the two above.

What Should You Bring to Your Dog Bite Consultation?

Bring what you have from the day of the attack. None of it is required before we open a file.

  • Photographs of the wound, taken as close to the bite as possible
  • The animal control report or the incident number
  • The owner’s name and address, and the dog’s name and breed if you have them
  • Contact information for anyone who saw the attack
  • Discharge instructions, medical records, and bills received so far

The initial consultation covers the attack itself, which deadline applies, and whose policy we expect to pursue. A gap between the bite and the first treatment note gives the carrier a causation argument, which is why prompt medical care affects what a claim is worth.

Reach Out to Citrine Law, LLC to Schedule a Consultation

Contact us to arrange a free consultation with our Yuma dog bite lawyer, in English or in Spanish. Send the photographs and the animal control report number, and we will identify which deadline applies and whose policy covers the attack. Citrine Law, LLC accepts these cases on contingency, so no fee is owed unless we recover for you.