Personal Injury Claims Against Government Entities: What You Need to Know
When most people think about personal injury claims, they imagine accidents involving private individuals or businesses. But what happens when your injury involves a government employee or occurs on government property? Personal injury claims against governmental entities, whether city, county, state, or federal, are more common than you might think, and they come with unique challenges that every injured person should understand.
Watch: Attorney Brian Allen Explains Injury Claims Against Government Entities
In this video: Our attorney explains key aspects of a personal injury claim against a government entity, including special immunity protections and critical shortened deadlines you must meet.
Common Scenarios for Government Entity Claims
Injuries involving a government entity can happen in many ways. You might be involved in a car accident with a city employee driving a municipal vehicle, injured at a public event, hurt on state property, or involved in an incident with law enforcement. Even something as simple as a slip and fall at a government building or injury at a public park can give rise to a claim against a governmental entity.
The key factor isn’t where the accident happens, but whether a government employee or entity played a role in causing your injury.
How These Claims Are Similar to Traditional Personal Injury Cases
At their core, claims against government entities follow the same basic principles as any personal injury case. You, as the injured party, must prove that the government entity or its employees acted negligently or unreasonably, and that this negligence directly caused injuries that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise.
This means demonstrating that the government had a duty of care, breached that duty, and that the breach resulted in your harm and damages.
Two Critical Differences You Must Know
While the basic legal principles may be similar, claims against government entities in Arizona differ from private party claims in two crucial ways that can make or break your case.
Government Immunity Protections
First, governmental entities often have special legal protections called immunities that can shield them from certain types of lawsuits. These immunities don’t apply in every situation, but understanding when they do, and whether they can be challenged, requires experienced legal analysis. What might seem like a straightforward negligence case can become complex when immunity issues arise.
Strict and Shortened Deadlines
Second, the timeline in Arizona for pursuing government claims is dramatically different and much more demanding than typical personal injury cases. There are two critical deadlines you must meet:
Notice of Claim Requirement: You have just six months (180 days) from the date of your injury to formally notify the government entity of your claim. This notice must include a settlement demand, and failing to meet this deadline can completely bar your ability to pursue compensation.
Shortened Statute of Limitations: While most personal injury claims have a two-year statute of limitations, claims against government entities must be filed within just one year of the incident.
Why Time Is of the Essence
These compressed timelines mean that if you’ve been injured in an incident involving a government entity, you cannot afford to wait. Between gathering evidence, investigating the claim, preparing the required notice, and potentially filing a lawsuit, there’s very little time to waste.
Many people don’t realize these special rules exist until it’s too late. By the time they discover the shortened deadlines, their opportunity for compensation may have already passed.
Get the Right Legal Guidance Today
Government entity claims require specialized knowledge of both personal injury law and the unique procedural requirements that apply to government cases. The interplay between immunity doctrines, notice requirements, and shortened deadlines creates a complex legal landscape that demands experienced navigation.
If you’ve been injured in any situation involving a government employee, entity, or property, don’t assume the same rules apply as in other personal injury cases. The stakes are too high and the deadlines too short to handle these matters without proper legal guidance.
Call Allen Carpenter today at (480) 808-5075 for a free consultation regarding your case. Or email at [email protected] or [email protected].
About Allen Carpenter PLC
Allen Carpenter PLC is a premier Arizona-based law firm that handles personal injury, wrongful death, insurance disputes, and bad faith claims in Arizona and all across the country. Attorneys Brian Allen and Fletcher Carpenter have litigated hundreds of personal injury cases and recovered tens of millions of dollars for their clients.
Last Updated: August 14, 2025