A personal injury can happen to anyone. There are many occurrences that result in a personal injury. The most commonly known one, however, may be “slip and falls.” Many slip and fall injuries happen at business establishments. It is not uncommon for a slip and fall to occur to someone visiting a hotel or casino on the Las Vegas strip. Typically the victim has no way of knowing that he or she is about to fall and suffer painful injuries—often due to the negligence of another. While slip and falls are pretty common, there are often several questions that victims have regarding their cases. Below are some basics that every slip and fall victim should know about his or her Nevada personal injury case.
Slip and Fall Basics
A slip and fall describes an injury that occurs on another’s property when the victim slips because of a foreign substance, unsafe weather condition, or defect. Many times these injuries happen in grocery stores, casinos, restaurants, or even private property and can be caused by ice, food or liquid on the floor. The general rule in the state of Nevada is that the owner or operator of the business where the fall happened is responsible for keeping the premises safe or, alternatively, posting proper signage to alert patrons of possible hazards that they may encounter while engaging in normal behavior for the location.
Nevada sets a time limit of two years from the date of a fall for a victim to file a lawsuit in the state’s civil court system. This is known as the statute of limitations and failure to file suit within this time frame may bar your case forever.
Shared Fault in Nevada
While some cases may clearly show who was at fault for the injury, others may result in a jury finding the victim shares all or part of the blame for the slip and fall. Nevada applies a particular rule when it comes to negligence and liability, known as modified comparative fault. Under this rule, a victim’s monetary award may be reduced or even eliminated depending on how much he or she is to blame. Under state law, if a personal injury victim is 50% or less at fault for the fall, he or she may recover a reduced amount of monetary compensation as damages. If the victim is found to be more than 50% or more at fault, however, there will be no recovery.
Slip and Fall Help in Nevada
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Nevada slip and fall accident due to another’s negligence, contact the the personal injury attorneys at H & P today. With years of experience representing the injured across Nevada, they will fight for the compensation you deserve.
