You have legal challenges. We have solutions. If you are searching for a compassionate advocate and an aggressive negotiator to help you get compensation for your pain and suffering, lost wages and medical expenses, our legal team can demand the justice you rightfully deserve. We have extensive experience, vast resources and the will to win.
What to do if you’re injured in Las Vegas
You were in an accident. Your heart is racing. Your adrenaline is high. You’re dazed and confused. It can be tough to keep your wits about you, but the choices you make in the immediate aftermath of an accident can make a huge difference in your case.
First, make sure the scene is safe and get emergency medical attention if you need it. Then, start gathering evidence. Take pictures of the scene and any visible injuries. Get names and contact information for any witnesses.
If the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police investigate your accident, be sure to get the investigating officer’s name and badge number. If the incident happened on somebody’ else’s property, get a copy of whatever incident report is filled out by the property owner.
Take note of any surveillance cameras that may have had a view of the scene and ask the business or homeowners responsible for those cameras for a copy of the footage. Don’t delay this step – camera footage is often deleted or overwritten within days.
Keep your comments to anyone else at the scene brief, and don’t say anything regarding fault for the accident. Don’t apologize, either; that could be construed as an admission of fault. Stick to the facts of what happened.
Get medical attention right away, even if you feel fine. Again, when your adrenaline is high and your “fight or flight” response is engaged, you are not in a great position to assess your own health. Being checked out by a doctor is the best option for your health. It also creates a record of your injuries to support your claim for damages.
Then, contact us, before you talk to the insurance company or any other interested party. We can advise you of your legal options and protect your interests while you focus on getting better.
We handle all types of personal injury cases in Las Vegas
Injuries can happen anywhere, and they can happen to anyone. When someone else’s negligence was the cause of harm, you have recourse under Nevada law – and we can fight for that right. In addition to slip and falls and motor vehicle accidents, we fight for victims of negligent manufacturers in product liability cases. Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe, and when they don’t, we hold them responsible.
We are also honored to stand up for families who have lost loved ones in wrongful death claims. No amount of legal action can bring your family member back but pursuing compensation and closure under the law can help you move forward.
The elements of a personal injury claim
To win a personal injury case, we need to prove four main elements:
- Duty of care. This is a legal term that means another person or organization had a responsibility to be reasonably careful in a situation that could foreseeably harm someone else. For instance, motorists have a duty of care to other road users, and property owners have a duty of care to people on their premises.
- Breach: The person or organization, through action or inaction, did not meet that duty of care – meaning they did not behave as a reasonably careful person would in the same situation.
- Causation: The breach of the duty of care caused or contributed to your injuries.
- Damages: You suffered significant harm because of the breach.
This is the general shape of any personal injury claim. The specifics vary depending on the situation and the applicable laws.
For example, in a $20 million premises liability claim that we won, our case focused on the duty of care of a homeowner’s association (HOA) to maintain safe conditions on their premises, and in particular, the safety of a swing set on the property. We found that the HOA knew the swing set was dangerous but failed to have it professionally maintained, even though they were advised to do so by the manufacturer, and even though they could easily afford the maintenance plan. Because of this breach of their duty of care, our client was severely injured when the swing set’s metal crossbar fell on his head.
This is why investigation is critical in a personal injury claim. We need to find proof of each of these legal elements to hold the at-fault party responsible for what happened. That’s one of the reasons you need to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after an accident – we need to take immediate action to preserve and obtain evidence to support your case.
Damages in personal injury cases in Nevada
An accident isn’t just a moment of pain. It can have ripple effects on the rest of your life, especially if the injury causes permanent damage. A traumatic brain injury (TBI), for example, can require a lifetime of medical treatment and affect your ability to work, care for your family, and do the things you love. A burn injury may require painful skin grafts and cause permanent disfigurement. Between medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and other losses, the full cost of an injury can be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
Under Nevada law, we can fight for you to be made financially whole again in such a situation by pursuing compensatory damages – a legal term for financial compensation for your losses. No amount of money can undo what happened, but it can make it easier to move forward. Some of the damages we can pursue include:
- Medical expenses: hospital bills, ambulance fees, surgery, medication, medical devices, physical therapy, follow-up care, and future medical care.
- Lost income: lost wages during your period of recovery, as well as compensation for long-term losses if your injury will permanently affect your career.
- Replacement services: home services such as childcare, maintenance, cleaning, yard work, and other tasks that you previously performed but now must pay for due to the injury.
- Modifications to your home or vehicle, if needed due to a permanent disability.
- Pain and suffering, mental anguish, and emotional distress.
- Loss of consortium, a legal term for loss of intimacy with your spouse and family.
- Loss of enjoyment of life, if the injury has affected your hobbies, lifestyle, or otherwise significantly impacted your quality of life.
In some circumstances, we are also able to pursue punitive damages, which are intended to punish grossly negligent or intentional conduct instead of directly compensating the injured person for specific losses. The goal of punitive damages is to send a strong message that recklessly endangering other people is not acceptable here in Nevada.
Remember, you only get one shot at full compensation for all your losses. Once you accept an insurance company’s money, that’s it; you can’t go back for more. That’s why it’s so important to talk to an attorney who knows how to build a case for the full amount of compensation you need and deserve. Getting an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side will make all the difference.
We will fight hard for all your legal rights
Our legal team will investigate your accident to find out what really happened and who was at fault. Your case may involve a driver who was distracted, or a corporation that failed to keep its hotel premises safe. We know where to look for evidence that proves negligence caused your accident.
Al will fight to hold all responsible parties accountable for your injuries. You may need expensive surgeries; your home and vehicles may have to be adapted for a wheelchair; you may need physical and occupational therapy; you may require counseling or even round-the-clock medical care. You may have lost income because you can’t work. And there are other damages, such as pain and suffering. We will help you pursue the maximum compensation possible.
Our law firm has access to top medical professionals to help us understand your injuries. We rely on expert accident scene investigators, and we call on expert witnesses and specialists from a variety of fields to help us build your case. No matter how many resources we invest in your case, you will never owe us fees or costs unless we win. We collect nothing unless you collect.
Get an attorney who stands up to insurance companies
Insurance companies will spend a lot of time and effort to avoid paying you compensation. That’s because they are more concerned about protecting their profits than giving you the help you need. Their lawyers will try to delay handling your claim. If the insurance company does make you a settlement offer, it won’t come close to covering your damages.
Al is very familiar with the tricks insurance companies play to avoid paying you compensation. He does not tolerate them. He builds a strong case and keeps pushing your case forward until the insurance company agrees to negotiate a settlement that works for you. And if they won’t negotiate, he will fight for you in court. Al is a skilled litigator who has won significant awards for clients.
If you were hurt in a personal injury accident, you need an experienced, aggressive attorney who won’t stop fighting for you. An attorney determined to get you the best results possible and who won’t back down. Call 702-625-8777 to schedule a free consultation with attorney Al Lasso right now.
