LAS VEGAS SLIP AND FALL LAWYER

Negligent Maintenance

In Nevada, all property owners are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that their property is safe for invited visitors. To this end, property owners must:

• Maintain a risk-free environment;
• Make necessary repairs promptly;
• Post warning signs, if needed;
• Block access to dangerous areas or hazards; and
• Comply with local safety requirements.

Whether due to ignorance or carelessness, many property owners fail to take these steps and, in so doing, endanger the safety of any visitors. Fortunately, those who are injured as a result of a property owner’s negligence can obtain compensation for the losses they suffered. To establish that an accident could have been avoided, but for a property owner’s negligence, the plaintiff must provide evidence that:

• The property owner owed a duty of care to the plaintiff;
• The property owner breached that duty;  and
• The plaintiff was injured as a result of the property owner’s breach.

Most slip and fall accidents occur at busy locations, such as:

• Retail stores;
• Grocery stores;
• Malls;
• Stadiums;
• Amusement parks;
• Restaurants;
• Hotels;
• Cruise ships; and
• Bars.

Some of the most common slip and fall accidents are caused by failing to prevent or correct the following defects:

• Defective stairs and railings;
• Slippery floors;
• Uneven or icy sidewalks;
• Torn carpet or warped floors;
• Poor lighting;
• Debris or trash;
• The presence of toxic fumes or chemicals;
• Improperly stacked merchandise;
• Crumbling curbs;
• Safety violations; and
• Inadequate security.

These types of accidents can cause a wide array of injuries, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Severe ankle, knee, and wrist sprains;
• Concussions or traumatic brain injury;
• Bruising, scrapes, and lacerations;
• Dislocated shoulders;
• Fractured vertebrae or spinal cord injury;
• Fractured hips or pelvis;
• Fractured wrists, ankles, and hands; and
• Facial injuries.

The severity of slip and fall injuries varies depending on the age and relative health of the victim. For instance, elderly people or those with preexisting bone conditions may sustain more serious bone breakages in the event of a fall, whereas infants are more likely to suffer from serious head injuries.

Invited Visitors and Trespassers

All property owners are required by law to take certain steps to make their property reasonably safe. However, some individuals owe a higher duty of care to visitors, of which there are three general types:

• Invitees;
• Licensees; and
• Trespassers.

Invitees are visitors who have been invited onto another person’s premises for the property owner’s benefit. Those who fall under this category include patrons of shopping malls, grocery stores, casinos, and other businesses. These visitors are owed the highest duty of care because the reason for their presence is solely for the owner’s benefit. To establish that he or she falls under this category, an injured party must demonstrate that:

• He or she entered the property by invitation, whether express or implied;
• He or she entered the property for a purpose connected to an owner’s business or with an activity conducted on the property; and
• His or her presence was beneficial to the owner.

Business owners have to warn invitees of both latent and hidden dangers that they know or should know.

Most visitors who fall under the category of licensee are social guests who are invited onto someone’s property but not for business purposes. For this reason, licensees are owed a reasonable duty of care, but one that is lower than that owed to invitees. As a result, property owners are only required to warn of dangers that they actually know exist and are also not required to detect and make repairs. They are also not usually required to reveal the presence of hazards that are open and obvious and would be recognized by a reasonable individual.

In Nevada, property owners are not required to take reasonable steps to make their property safe for trespassers. There is an exception, however, when a trespasser is a minor and is injured by:

• An artificial condition located on the property that is attractive to children, such as an unfenced swimming pool, and the owner does not take reasonable steps to avoid injury; or
• A dangerous condition that is left exposed, and the property owner does not take measures to protect children from coming into contact with it.

Settlement

Trials are notoriously time-consuming and stressful. While in many cases, plaintiffs have no choice but to pursue legal action to obtain compensation for their losses, in others, legal action can be avoided. Property owners may be willing to settle with injured parties to avoid a trial, which may bring unwanted publicity and cost much more than they anticipate. At Naqvi Injury Law, we are often able to help our clients avoid the stresses of court by negotiating a settlement with the property owner and his or her insurance providers.

Maximizing Your Compensation

Naqvi Injury Law will begin investigating your case immediately. We will work to determine the cause of the accident and the property owner’s liability. We will work closely with your doctor and other medical specialists to identify the true extent of your injuries and the medical treatment and rehabilitation you need to recover to the fullest extent possible. Our firm will also include a demand for any lost wages in your claim, if applicable.

We have successfully represented numerous victims of slip-and-fall accidents and other acts of negligence. These have included both Las Vegas residents and out-of-state visitors. We will work to build a strong and persuasive case designed to maximize the compensation you receive.