| Glossary of Terms for Personal Injury Cases in Nevada |
| 1st Party Insurance: |
Coverage
of the victim/injured party |
| 3rd Party Insurance: |
Coverage of the at
fault party |
| Attorney: |
A person whom is Licensed by
the State Bar of Nevada to practice law in Nevada by passing the Bar Exam and
fulfilling multiple requirements. |
| CDL: |
Commercial Driver's License. |
Collateral
Source Doctrine: |
Established Nevada Law that stands for the notion that Defendants are prevented from offsetting collateral sources of insurance and/or supplemental payment sources when paying damages to injured parties; thus, a party is responsible solely for any damage caused irrespective of the victim's personal methods to cover the injury debt. |
| Declaratory Action: |
When a viable controversy exists between two parties, an action to force a declaration or decision regarding that specific controversy.
Demand: When money is demanded for an injury. |
| Defendant: |
The at fault party. |
| D.U.I.: |
Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol (.08 in Nevada). |
| Fatal Detail: |
The name of the police agency investigating a fatal crash. |
| HPD: |
Henderson Police Department |
| Interpleader: |
An action allowing the Court
to decide how an issue will be decided, typically used with insurance funds when
more than one party claims interest to the funds. |
| Intervenor: |
A party to an action that may have an interest who intervenes in the case. |
| Las Vegas District Court: |
Court that handles matters over $10,000.00. |
| Las Vegas Justice Court: |
Court that handles matters under $10,000.00. |
| Las Vegas Small Claims Court: |
Court that handles matters under $5,000.00. |
| LVMPD: |
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department |
| Medical Payments Coverage: |
Commonly known as "Med-pay" coverage, this coverage will pay for damages to persons in the covered vehicle for injuries "in and around" the vehicle. |
| Motions in Limine: |
Motions attorneys file to limit evidence in trial they deem to be prejudicial or irrelevant. |
| Negligence: |
A breach of an owed duty of care causing damages/injuries |
| NHP: |
Nevada Highway Patrol |
| Paralegal: |
A Person skilled in procedural aspects of lawsuits, who assist the attorney, but are not allowed to practice law. |
| Plaintiff: |
In litigation, the victim, 1st party, or aggrieved party. |
| Phantom Vehicle Rule: |
Insurance provision that does not allow a 1st party to collect against his/her own insurance coverage because no actual contact was made with the mystery vehicle that caused the accident. |
| Premises Liability: |
A body of law focused on occurrences on property or land. (e.g. slip, trip, and fall cases.) |
| Recklessness: |
Encountering and disregarding a known risk. |
| Salvage Value: |
The remaining value on a vehicle once deemed to be totaled-usually sold for scrap metal. Tips on determinating the value of the car. |
| Statute of Limitations: |
A limited time period whereby a party can sue. Accident victims have two years from the date of the accident in Nevada and California. For more information, visit wiki's Statute of Limitations. |
| Strict Products Liability: |
Body of law dealing with defectively designed, manufactured, or unreasonably dangerous goods. |
| Tort Law: |
The body of law that deals with civil wrongs. Tort Law defined by Cornell's Wex. |
| UM / UIM: |
Underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage. |
| Vicarious Liability: |
A legal notion that infers responsibility to an employer for wrongful acts of an employee. Also sometimes called imputed liability. More Info: Vicarious Liability. |
