Mail carriers, package delivery drivers, and utility workers are among the most frequently bitten people in the country, and Arizona law gives them the same strict liability protection as anyone else. You were on that route lawfully, and the dog's owner is liable regardless of the dog's history.
Strict liability applies to delivery workers
Under A.R.S. § 11-1025, a dog owner is liable for a bite that occurs in a public place or while the victim was lawfully on private property. A mail carrier delivering to someone's door, a UPS driver at a front porch, or a utility worker accessing a meter on the side of a house is lawfully on private property. The one-bite rule doesn't apply in Arizona, the owner cannot argue they didn't know the dog was dangerous. The bite establishes liability.
Workers' compensation and third-party claims
If you were bitten during the course of your employment, workers' compensation will cover your medical bills and wage replacement. But workers' comp doesn't cover pain and suffering, and it doesn't prevent you from also pursuing a third-party personal injury claim against the dog owner directly. The workers' comp carrier will have a subrogation interest in the personal injury settlement, but a net recovery after that lien is often substantially better than workers' comp alone. Identifying and pursuing both is part of getting the full value of what happened to you.
What a dog bite claim can recover
Medical expenses, future treatment costs, lost wages (beyond what workers' comp covers), pain and suffering, emotional distress, and scarring or disfigurement are all recoverable in a personal injury claim against the dog owner. Delivery workers bitten on the job often develop anxiety about returning to work on affected routes, that psychological impact is part of the claim.
The filing deadline
Arizona gives most personal injury victims two years from the date of the bite (A.R.S. § 12-542). See our post on the Arizona personal injury statute of limitations.
Our dog bite attorneys handle delivery worker claims throughout Phoenix and Scottsdale on a contingency fee basis. No fee unless we win. Call (480) 418-SHER (7437) or reach out online.