What starts as a fun-filled night at a Las Vegas casino could culminate in an injury following a slip and fall at the casino. This accident can cause serious injuries, such as broken bones, neck and back injuries, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), leaving the injured party unable to work and with costly medical bills.
If the facility was negligent, the casino may be legally responsible for the victim’s lost wages, lost earning potential, and medical expenses. A slip and fall lawyer in Las Vegas often helps victims learn about what to do and what evidence to collect to ensure the person recovers a fair personal injury settlement.
What Are the Common Causes of a Slip and Fall at the Casino?
Due to their busy nature, casinos have many hazardous areas where guests can trip, slip, and fall. The casino management has a legal duty to keep its premises clean and well maintained. If the management fails on this duty, guests are likely to slip and fall. The following are the most common causes of casino slip and fall accidents:
Food and Drink Spills
Imbibing guests are more likely to spill food and beverages on the floor. If casino staff members don’t ensure floors are clean and dry at all times, guests will be at higher risk of slipping and falling.
Damaged Staircases and Broken Handrails
The risk of a slip and fall at the casino happening is high if a casino has some damaged staircases and broken handrails. When guests fall on stairways, they may suffer serious broken bones, concussions, and spinal cord injuries.
Loose or Torn Carpet
Carpets on the casino floor and its restaurants are subjected to heavy foot traffic daily. For this reason, they get torn or become loose over time. Casinos should inspect their floors regularly and replace torn or loose carpets. Failure to do so may expose guests to the risks of a trip and fall accident.
Broken or Weak Slot Machine Chairs
Hundreds of guests use slot machine chairs daily, making them prone to breaking or becoming weak. Failure to maintain and repair the chairs regularly can increase the risk of a guest falling off and sustaining serious injuries.
Malfunctioned Escalators and Elevators
Defective elevators and escalators can cause guests to fall and suffer serious injuries when they jerk unexpectedly, especially when starting or stopping. What’s more, guests may get their clothing, fingers, or feet trapped on parts of improperly maintained escalators in a casino.
Shuttle Buses
Most casinos have shuttle buses that transport guests to and from the airport. If there is a suitcase on the passageway or food and drink spills on the floor, people are likely to fall. Missing or damaged stripes on the shuttle bus’s steps can also be hazardous.
Collecting Crucial Evidence at the Accident Scene
Documenting the Scene
If the victim falls after slipping on a loose or torn carpet, he or she should take a time- and date-stamped picture of that part of the carpeting. Likewise, he or she should take a photo of a food or liquid spill that might have led to his or her slip and fall in a restaurant area or close to a restroom.
Recording Witness Information
The victim should record the name and contact information of any person who witnessed his or her slip and fall. Witnesses might be other guests, casino staff members, or family members and friends accompanying the fall victim.
Obtaining a Copy of the Accident Report
The fall victim should report the accident to the casino management. He or she should be sure to collect a copy of the accident report.
Medical Records and Receipts
The fall victim should see a doctor right after the accident for a comprehensive examination. He or she should obtain and safely keep the medical documents and receipts to make an injury claim.
Proving Casino Liability in a Slip and Fall Accident
To prove beyond reasonable doubt that the casino was to blame for the accident, the fall victim must show the following:
- The casino owned or was in charge of the premises when the accident happened;
- The fall victim was legally present on the casino premises;
- A hazardous condition existed on the casino premises;
- The casino caused the hazardous condition, was aware of, or should have been aware of it;
- The casino didn’t take reasonable steps to address the hazardous condition;
- The fall victim’s injuries were directly caused by the hazardous condition.
Proving these elements can increase the odds of a fall victim winning a premises liability lawsuit. A slip and fall lawyer in Las Vegas can look at the evidence collected from the accident scene, accident report from the casino, and available surveillance video to build a strong case against the casino and prove casino liability.