Scars and disfigurement in Tempe: why timing matters and what you can claim

How long until a scar from a Tempe accident is final?

About a year and a half. Maturing takes 12 to 18 months. Early on it often looks thicker, pinker, redder or shinier than it will later. Over time scars fade but never go away completely.

That timing creates a problem. If you settle in month three, you are paying for a scar nobody has seen yet. Ask your lawyer and your doctor what a settlement date means for how the scar looks.

Scars come from more than burns. ADOT counted 3,007 people hurt in Tempe crashes in 2024. Cuts, glass and road rash can scar even when no bone breaks, so photograph those too.

What photos should I take of a scar?

1. Day of injury or first clinic visit: wounds, stitches and bruising, with a coin or ruler for scale.
2. Every few weeks: same angle, same light, same distance.
3. After surgery or revision: before and after.
4. At 12 to 18 months, when the scar has matured.
5. Ask a friend to describe how the scar affects you, such as covering up at work or at a Tempe pool.

If a dog caused the wound, Maricopa County says to get medical care and take photos of the injuries. Report the bite to Tempe animal control as well.

Can plastic surgery fix a scar?

It can help. It can't erase it. Revision improves a scar but does not remove it. Burn scars can also tighten and limit movement, a problem called contracture.

If your burn was serious, ask about care at the Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix. Its appointment line is 1-833-855-9973.

How does an Arizona claim count disfigurement?

Directly. Jurors are told to consider the nature and extent of past and future pain, disability, disfigurement and anxiety. Medical costs for future treatment count too, and so do lost earnings.

Workers' comp counts it differently. Its state schedule has a separate entry for permanent disfigurement of the head or face, including loss of teeth. If a scar came from a work accident, ask the Industrial Commission of Arizona, Claims Division, at (602) 542-4661, how that schedule applies to you.

Fault is shared by percent, so being partly to blame lowers the award but does not end the claim.

Do children get more time to sue for scars in Tempe?

Yes. The years a child is under 18 do not count against the lawsuit deadline. Check the notice rule, though. If a public school or the City of Tempe caused the injury, Arizona's 180-day claim rule can apply, and it has its own rule for minors.

For a child, a parent or guardian usually acts for them. Ask a lawyer how that works before you sign anything. If a school caused the scar, the claim goes to the district office, whether Tempe Union, Tempe Elementary or Kyrene.

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