With well over a hundred casinos, Las Vegas is known throughout the world as a preeminent entertainment destination. While patrons often focus on the bright lights of Sin City, the reality is that risks of personal injury are as numerous as the number of slot machines at any given casino. Read on for what Las Vegas residents and visitors alike should know about premises liability and casinos.
Understanding Premises Liability
Premises liability is the term used to explain the responsibility that certain types of property owners have with regards to ensuring their inhabitants are not put at risk of personal injury. Businesses such as casinos fall into this category of establishments that have certain obligations toward ensuring the safety of their patrons.
If a casino patron incurs personal injury on the premises, the owners of the casino may be at fault and therefore liable for paying compensation to cover the victim’s costs (often referred to as “damages”). Typically, the property owner is only liable for compensation if it can be shown that their negligence contributed to the eventual injury a person sustained on the premises.
An experienced premises liability attorney will work with victims to determine if the casino owner knew about unsafe conditions but did not act in a timely manner to address them. They will also help to determine if there was reasonable expectation that the owner should have known or anticipated certain safety issues were imminent.
Types of Casino Accidents
Because a casino is home to so many different forms of entertainment and experiences, the risks of personal injury are vast. Common types of accidents witnessed at casinos include slip and fall accidents, food poisoning, broken or malfunctioning furniture, robbery, assault, and sexual harassment.
The level of responsibility of casino owners in preventing these types of accidents can vary from case to case. However, an experienced premises liability attorney can be prepared to investigate the particular events for signs of negligence that may not be readily apparent to the victim. For example, if the casino owners failed to hire qualified staff or ensure that staff training was regularly addressed and updated, this could potentially be construed as negligence if the staff’s actions directly contributed to the accident.
Other forms of casino owner negligence can include failure to promptly address slippery floors from spilled drinks or other sources. This can create a slip and fall hazard. At the very least, property owners should be expected to put out a warning sign as soon as a spill is located, and clean the area as soon as possible.
Other types of negligence include lack of security personnel, as well as equipment that is not properly maintained. Basically, if a casino patron incurs personal injury on the premises, the first question they should be asking themselves is, “Could this injury have been prevented if the casino owners had taken some kind of preventative measure?” If there is even an inkling that the answer to that question is yes, then consultation with an experienced local premises liability attorney should be the next course of action.
The Benefit of Professional Legal Counsel
For years, the attorneys at H&P Law have been helping accident victims in Las Vegas and Nevada fight for their right to compensation following a property owner’s negligence. Contact H&P Law today for insight into your unique case.
