Burn injuries are among the most serious traumas treated in Arizona's hospital system. Survivors typically require admission to a burn center, prolonged wound care, skin grafts, and months or years of physical and occupational rehabilitation. Arizona's most active burn-care destination is the Arizona Burn Center – Valleywise Health in Phoenix, which receives transfers from across the state and from neighboring jurisdictions.
Severe burns in Arizona trace to a familiar mix of sources: workplace incidents at mining and processing sites, construction-trade accidents involving solvents and torches, residential fires, motor-vehicle collisions involving fuel ignition, and recreational propane and gasoline mishaps in the state's heavily-used outdoor recreation corridors. For survivors whose injuries trace to another party's conduct, the question of timing and fault allocation is governed by Arizona's statutes rather than by general advice.
Arizona's two-year statute of limitations
Arizona Revised Statutes § 12-542 states: "Except as provided in section 12-551 there shall be commenced and prosecuted within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not afterward, the following actions: … for injuries done to the person of another …" Source: Arizona State Legislature, A.R.S. § 12-542.
We compile this for reference. The two-year clock has narrow tolling rules, accrual exceptions, and special provisions for minors, government defendants, and product-liability scenarios. For advice on your specific case, consult a licensed Arizona attorney.
Arizona's pure comparative negligence rule
Arizona Revised Statutes § 12-2505(A) states: "The defense of contributory negligence or of assumption of risk is in all cases a question of fact and shall at all times be left to the jury. If the jury applies either defense, the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault which is a proximate cause of the injury or death …" Source: Arizona State Legislature, A.R.S. § 12-2505.
Unlike states with a 50% or 51% bar, Arizona allows a partially-at-fault claimant to recover a reduced share of damages even at high fault percentages. How fault is allocated in any specific matter is a question for the trier of fact. For advice on your specific case, consult a licensed Arizona attorney.
Where Arizona burn cases are typically filed
Civil personal-injury actions in Arizona are filed in the Superior Court of the county where the injury occurred or where the defendant resides. The Superior Court has general jurisdiction over tort claims exceeding the limited-jurisdiction threshold; below that threshold, matters proceed in the Justice Court. Maricopa and Pima counties handle the majority of Arizona's high-value personal-injury caseload by volume.
This page lists Arizona attorneys whose website disclosures indicate burn-injury or catastrophic-injury practice. Listing facts come from firm websites or from the firms themselves; nothing on this page should be read as legal advice or as an endorsement of any individual attorney. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed Arizona attorney directly.
