A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Trump International Hotel Las Vegas following a fatal revolving door accident. The family of the 78-year-old decedent claims a malfunctioning door caused the woman to fall, resulting in unspecified, severe injuries that ultimately led to her death.
While the lawsuit remains pending, it shines a spotlight on a largely overlooked risk in hotel design—revolving doors. These fixtures are common in luxury hotels across Las Vegas. When they malfunction or are installed without appropriate safeguards, however, they can cause serious injuries or even death.
Revolving doors are everywhere on the Strip. However, when they’re installed or maintained improperly, the consequences can be catastrophic. Our Las Vegas hotel injury lawyers at George Bochanis Injury Law Offices are here to help. If you’ve been injured by a revolving door at a Las Vegas hotel or casino, contact our law offices today to discuss your options. 702-388-2005.
The Hidden Dangers of Revolving Doors
Revolving doors are often used for aesthetics, energy efficiency, or climate control. But their design can introduce a level of risk that’s not present in standard swinging or sliding doors. For older adults, children, and people with mobility challenges, these doors can become dangerous if not equipped with proper safety features.
Why These Doors Are Riskier Than They Look
Unlike swinging or sliding doors, revolving doors require users to coordinate their movement with rotating panels in a confined space. That design leaves very little room for error.
When the door is operating too quickly, lacking proper sensors, or not maintained correctly, even a routine exit can turn dangerous. A person who stumbles or hesitates has nowhere to step aside. If the door malfunctions mid-rotation, it can forcefully shove, trap, or knock someone to the ground. For children, older adults, and people with mobility or vision impairments, the risk increases significantly.
These risks are not theoretical. Multiple injuries, and even deaths, have been linked to revolving door incidents over the years.
Revolving doors can:
- Trap individuals between panels if sensors fail
- Move too quickly for someone to exit safely
- Cause blunt-force injuries during sudden stops or malfunctions
The event at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas underscores these risks. A malfunction of the hotel’s revolving door reportedly threw the woman several feet, resulting in her falling face-first onto the sidewalk.
Proper design and routine maintenance are essential. Hotels that rely on these doors need to ensure they meet local safety codes and industry standards.
Revolving Door Accidents and Legal Liability
Hotels that use automated or semi-automated entry systems, such as revolving doors, are responsible for ensuring those systems are safe for use by the public. This includes people of all ages, physical abilities, and mobility levels. If a hotel fails to meet that obligation and visitors are injured on a trip to Vegas, it may be held liable under Nevada’s premises liability laws.
Injury claims involving revolving doors often center on whether the hotel or property owner knew about a defect and failed to fix it, or whether they should have known about the danger through regular inspections.
When Revolving Doors Become a Hazard
Most people walk through revolving doors without issue. However, accidents can and do happen. These doors involve moving glass, mechanical arms, and sensors. If any component fails or operates incorrectly, a person can be struck, trapped, or knocked off balance. Injuries may be amplified if the person is elderly or unable to move quickly.
Due to her fall, the woman killed in the revolving door accident at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas suffered severe injuries. Her death is attributed to complications from those injuries.
Premises Liability in Nevada Hotel Injury Cases
Nevada law holds hotels and other property owners accountable for keeping their premises safe for guests. This duty of care means they must regularly inspect their property and take reasonable steps to fix or warn about hazards. When a hotel installs mechanical systems like revolving doors, the responsibility increases. These systems must be monitored, tested, and serviced to ensure they operate safely and consistently. If a hotel fails to inspect a revolving door, ignores signs of malfunction, or doesn’t respond appropriately to maintenance complaints, it may be considered negligent under Nevada premises liability law.
Liability often hinges on what the hotel knew, or should have known, about the danger. For example, if the door had a history of erratic movement, or if guests previously complained about safety concerns, the hotel could be held liable for ignoring red flags. Even if no prior warning existed, a court may still find the hotel at fault if it failed to implement reasonable inspection and maintenance protocols.
In the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of the woman catastrophically injured while exiting the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, it’s alleged the hotel staff knew the door was faulty and failed to take corrective action.
Who May Be Held Responsible?
Revolving door accident claims often involve more than just the property owner. In some cases, the hotel may have hired a third-party company to install or service the door. If that contractor failed to follow safety standards or performed subpar work, they could share legal responsibility for the incident. Similarly, the door manufacturer could be named in the lawsuit if the design itself was flawed, or if the door was defective when installed.
Determining who is legally responsible requires a detailed investigation. Lawyers often examine service records, building code compliance, incident reports, and expert evaluations. The goal is to identify every party that contributed to the unsafe condition. While victims often sue hotels for injuries in a premises liability case, other entities may be brought into the lawsuit if they played a role in causing the injury or death.
Legal Help After a Hotel Injury in Las Vegas
If you or a loved one has been injured due to unsafe conditions at a hotel, whether from a revolving door or another hazard, you may have grounds for legal action. These cases often hinge on whether the property owner knew about the danger and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.
At George Bochanis Injury Law Offices, we’ve been helping injured individuals in Las Vegas for decades. Our team understands how to investigate hotel negligence, hold the right parties accountable, and pursue compensation for serious injuries or wrongful death.
To discuss your case with an attorney, call 702-388-2005. The consultation is free, and there’s no obligation.
