Premises Liability Lawyer in Las Vegas

Separating Fact From Fiction

MYTH

1. Premises liability is just a fancier term for “Slip & Fall”
2. Property owners are always at fault in slip and fall cases.
3. Only property owners can be legally responsible in premises liability cases.
4. Premises liability cases are limited to commercial properties.
5. In premises liability cases, you can only be compensated for physical injuries.

FACT

1. Not necessarily. Premises liability can include negligent security, dog bits, and amusement park accidents.
2. Not always. For example, if the injured party was trespassing, the property owner is not considered at fault.
3. A negligent owner is often the one at fault. However, landlords, property managers and maintenance workers are among several others who could be held responsible, depending upon the circumstances surrounding an injury.
4. We often think of slip and fall cases taking place at areas like grocery stores. However, homeowners can also be liable in the event an invitee gets hurt.
5. Clients are sometimes awarded non-physical damages such as emotional distress and wage loss.

Examples Of Premises Liability Situations That Are Common In Nevada

When you’re injured and seeking compensation, your premises liability lawyer must identify the negligent party. Sometimes there is only one negligent person or company in an injury case.  However, often there are multiple careless parties.  When this is the case, it’s important to have a lawyer that understands which parties should be held responsible. 

An owner or operator is not required to do everything that is necessary to remove all risks to their guests. Rather, they must take every reasonable step to protect guests from unnecessary dangers. The law does not get any more specific than this since every situation is different and unique.  As a premises liability lawyer who has helped many victims, Paul Padda understands that each case is unique, and the details of your injury must be closely investigated.

Of the many premises liability cases that our firm has worked on over the years, many of them can be placed in the following categories:

Hotel Accidents – Large hotel buildings and private accommodations must be maintained for people to safely walk through and carry large items of luggage. People are often injured on poorly kept stairs or in defective restrooms.

Casino Accidents – Gambling floors offer many distractions and can be littered with many physical objects. Trip and falls are common ways people get hurt in casinos.

Restaurant Accidents – Busy restaurants can become dangerous for patrons who are often near the wait staff. Operators of these places must constantly be on the lookout for dangers to guests.

Negligent Security – Security needs for stores or entertainment venues can vary due to factors such as crowd size and time of day. Places that are understaffed with security personnel are often easy targets for those seeking to do harm or commit crimes.

Slip and Fall Accidents – Whether you are in a small shop or at a large event, cluttered or slick walkways can cause devastating injuries.

Swimming Pool Accidents – There are unfortunately many ways to be injured in a pool. Those who own a pool must keep them in good operating condition, label hazards, and take steps to prevent small children from wandering in unattended.

Grocery Stores – Slip and falls are very common in grocery stores, especially in the produce sections where items can fall on the floor creating real hazard for unsuspecting shoppers. 

While many of these cases involve injuries sustained at public places, this is not always the case.  Your premises liability claim may involve a neighbor who invites you onto their property which turned out to be very dangerous and caused you harmed.  Furthermore, your invitation may have been in person with the owner or operator, or you may have been told that you could enter when they were not there.  Either way, people still owe you a duty of reasonable care when you’re on their property, and this applies equally to private residences that are not being used as a business.

How To Prove Your Premises Liability Case

Obtaining damages in a premises liability case is in many ways similar to any other negligence case where a person has sustained an injury. It must be shown that the negligent and careless party failed to uphold a duty of due care that they owed to you.  Your lawyer will have to demonstrate the following after you’ve suffered a personal injury on private property:

1. You were on a premises owned by someone else.

2. There was a dangerous condition present on the property.
3. The dangerous condition is what caused your injuries, and your damages can be clearly shown. Personal injury damages can be shown by demonstrating medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress, etc.
4. The owner or operator failed to take reasonable steps to either fix the dangerous condition or to properly warn you about it.

A careful and skilled premises liability lawyer knows that evidence must be collected showing how the owner or operator of the property failed to take care of the dangers present.  This will involve collecting photos of the property, taking our own photos, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing maintenance reports.  Paul Padda Law meticulously builds strong cases for every client, and for this reason, we are known to recover damages that others often leave behind.

Steps To Take After Being Hurt On Someone Else’s Property

Every injury is different, and no two situations are the same. You must seek medical help as soon as possible if you or a loved one are hurt. Some injuries are clearly severe from the beginning but others get worse over time or take days or weeks to show up.  You could sustain a brain or spinal cord injury and not even know it until much later. 

Steps you should take if you’re hurt on another person’s property include:

• Take time to gather yourself.  Often, when a person is injured in a public setting (such as a casino or grocery store) the person wants to immediately remove themselves from the area because of embarrassment.  Falling, or being injured, due to someone else’s negligence is nothing to feel embarrassed about.  It’s important to gather yourself and avoid any sudden movements which could make your injuries worse. 
• Call for professional medical help – A genuine injury cannot properly be addressed without medical professionals. Even if you have to wait until you leave the property, do not let anyone talk you out of consulting with a doctor about your injury.
• Contact a premises liability lawyer – Every case is unique, and the details can be complex. An experienced lawyer can help you get better while also determining what parties may owe you compensation for your injury.  Call Paul Padda Law today at (702) 366-1888.
• Keep a copy of any official reports – Ask for a copy of any police report, or any report that may have been filed by the staff of the owner or operator of the property.  If you’ve slipped and fell in a commercial establishment, insist on filing an “incident report.”
• Take photos – Take photos of your injuries as soon as possible, and try to take photos of the dangers on the property if any are relevant to your case.
• Keep up with your medical treatments – If you don’t follow up with your doctor and keep medical appointments, it may seem as though your injuries are not severe.  Inquire about how your injury or ailment will affect all parts of your life moving forward.