Slip and Fall Lawyer in Phoenix, AZ

If you slipped or tripped and got hurt on someone else's property in Phoenix, the case turns on what the owner knew and when. A grocery store with a leaking cooler, an apartment complex with a broken stair, a restaurant that mopped without a sign: each one owed you a safe place to walk.

Falls aren't minor injuries. From 2018 to 2024, accidental falls killed 4,844 Maricopa County residents, more than car crashes killed over the same years, according to CDC death records. Our Phoenix fall death data has the full breakdown.

This page explains the notice rule that makes or breaks these cases, the duty a property owner owes you, and the deadlines that run much faster when the city owns the property.

Call (602) 654-0202 or use the intake form. The consultation is free. We don't charge unless we recover for you.

The Notice Requirement: What Wins a Phoenix Case

Proving a hazard existed isn't enough. The owner has to have had notice of it. Arizona recognizes two kinds, and every slip and fall case turns on which one you can prove.

Actual notice means the owner was told. An employee reported the spill, a tenant complained about the broken stair, or the manager already knew the cooler was leaking.

Constructive notice means the hazard sat there long enough that a reasonable owner doing regular inspections should have found it. The inspection schedule is the key question. If a store checks its floors every 30 minutes but the last check was two hours before your fall, that gap is evidence. If there's no inspection policy at all, that's evidence too.

The Duty a Property Owner Owes You

Ron DeBrigida, J.D. reviews this section. Arizona sorts everyone on someone else's property into three groups, and the group sets the duty.

Invitees

Customers in a store, patrons in a restaurant, and tenants in common areas are owed the highest duty. The owner has to inspect for hazards, keep conditions safe, and warn of known dangers that can't be fixed right away. Most Phoenix slip and fall claims are invitee cases.

Licensees and trespassers

A social guest is a licensee, owed a warning about known hidden dangers. A trespasser is owed only the duty not to cause willful harm, with one exception: the attractive nuisance doctrine protects trespassing children from dangers like unfenced pools.

Falls on City of Phoenix Property

A fall on a city sidewalk, in a city park, at Sky Harbor, or at the Phoenix Convention Center is a claim against a public entity. Two rules change. A notice of claim has to be filed within 180 days under ARS 12-821.01, and the lawsuit has to be filed within one year under ARS 12-821.

Punitive damages aren't available against a public entity under ARS 12-820.04, but compensatory damages are. Keeping a sidewalk or a terminal floor safe is an operational duty, not a protected policy decision. If you fell on public property, call early. The 180-day notice is the deadline that sinks the most claims.

Arizona Slip and Fall Law in Phoenix Cases

Deadline (ARS 12-542)

Two years from the fall for a claim against a private owner, such as a store, restaurant, landlord, or HOA.

Pure comparative fault (ARS 12-2505)

Sharing some blame doesn't bar recovery. Your compensation is reduced by your fault percentage, never eliminated. Adjusters argue you weren't watching where you walked or wore the wrong shoes. We answer with the video and the inspection records.

No cap on damages

Arizona doesn't cap compensatory damages in injury cases. Medical bills, lost wages, future care, and pain and suffering are evaluated on the facts. Falls can cause fractures, spinal injuries, and brain injuries, and falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in adults over 65.

What We Pull on Every Phoenix Slip and Fall Case

Evidence disappears fast. Camera footage overwrites on short cycles, floors get mopped, and broken steps get fixed. We send preservation letters the day we take the case, then pull the incident report, the maintenance logs, and the floor-inspection records. Those inspection records carry the most weight in a constructive notice case.

Your own documentation matters just as much. If you can, photograph the hazard, the area around it, your shoes, and your injuries before anything is cleaned up. Ask for a written incident report and get witness names.

What It Costs

Nothing upfront. We handle every Phoenix slip and fall case on contingency. You don't pay us unless we recover. If we take your case and don't win, you owe us nothing for attorney fees.

Call (602) 654-0202 or use the intake form. Hablamos espanol.

All Injury Cases in Phoenix

Slip and fall claims are one part of what we handle from our Phoenix office on 35th Avenue. See the Phoenix injury law overview for car crashes, truck crashes, dog bites, and wrongful death. For pools, negligent security, and other property-owner claims, see Arizona premises liability. For slip and fall claims anywhere in the state, the Arizona slip and fall overview covers statewide law.