Hotel accidents can involve everything from Vegas slip and fall accidents, assaults and batteries, bed bugs, and foodborne illness. Accidents can involve every department, including the valet, casino, show venues, restaurants, walkways, elevators, and hotel rooms. Criminal activity is often a problem that no hotel personnel can necessarily predict; however, certain events may be repetitive and become not only foreseeable but also create liability for the hotel. If you have been in an accident in a Las Vegas hotel or casino, contact our Las Vegas hotel and casino injury lawyers to get the compensation you deserve.
Video, Camera, and Digital Tape Recording
Cameras link the casino to the “eye in the sky” as a protection of the casino against gaming cheats. In addition, it protects the casino in the event of a crime, whether it be a robbery or assault, as it records events that occur throughout the premises. Many victims believe the accident must have been recorded due to the multitude of cameras. This is not always the case. Hotels have a duty to protect and preserve evidence. See the landmark case of Fire Ins. Exchange v. Zenith Radio Corp., 747 P.2d 911, 914 (Nev. 1987). This case was the benchmark that set up consequences for the destruction of evidence. Thus, the hotels and casinos must preserve the video reports that contain accidents, or risk that their case be dismissed, or an adverse jury instruction instructing the jury that the missing item must be inferred to benefit the victim.
Pictures, Photographs, and the Incident Report
Many of the accident facts are preserved in the incident report, which is usually drafted and assembled by the hotel security. These items are typically not disclosed to the victim and are held internally by the casino. A Las Vegas premises liability lawsuit must be filed to obtain these documents.
Payment of Medical Fees – Hotel Medical Facilities
The payment of medical expenses is sometimes promised by the hotelier after an accident. When an acute injury occurs, victims are often rushed to the in-house medical clinic that is owned and run by the hotel. The MGM has its own clinic in-house that treats its employees. These charges are usually taken on by the hotel for obvious reasons. Often, when a victim returns home, they are faced with medical expenses they simply cannot afford. Health insurance must pay for an accident injury; however, few Americans have the luxury of such coverage.
Negotiations with the Risk Management Department
Injured persons who wish to settle their own Vegas injury claim run many risks. First, what is the appropriate settlement amount? Often, the victim is simply ignored once they return home. For those fortunate to receive an offer, it is usually followed by a “release of claims,” which permanently and forever releases the claim. Signing such a release should be reviewed by a legal professional. It is not uncommon to receive false promises regarding the claim. “Medical expenses will be taken care of.” Then, the calls are never returned, and no proof exists of the promise. Risk management departments are also governed like insurance companies by the Nevada Fair Claims Practices Act, as well as numerous insurance regulations. The regulations concerned here are the provisions that deal with handling claims. False promises are illegal. Moreover, any suggestion for you not seek an attorney is a sure sign. For more information, see: CHAPTER 598A – UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES.
Additional Nevada Hotel Injury Information
- Casino and Show Performances
- Chair Accidents
- Day or Medical Spa Injury or Negligence
- Elevator or Escalator Accident
- Types of Escalators or Elevators Malfunctions
- Food Poisoning
- In-Room Accidents
- Injured at a Property Outside of Nevada, but Headquartered in Nevada?
- Hotel or Casino Water Sickness & Legionnaires’ Disease