Property owners and other parties could be liable if you or a loved one were assaulted in a casino in Las Vegas. Specifically, you may be able to recover compensation if inadequate security leads to assault and subsequent damages.
For help seeking compensation from a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer, call George Bochanis Injury Law at 702-388-2005 for a free consultation.
Can Casinos Be Held Liable for Assaults on Their Property?
Casino property owners, security teams, and other related parties must maintain a safe environment for guests. Failure to do so could lead to various instances of assault and other harm, making these parties liable for injuries, emotional distress, and other damages resulting from the incident.
For example, casino guests could sustain injuries from the following due to negligence or malicious intent:
- Various types of assault, including simple, aggravated, sexual, or even instances of verbal assault, along with assault with a deadly weapon
- Accidents, including those resulting from faulty elevators or escalators
- Slip and fall accidents involving uneven, poorly maintained, or wet floors
- Traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and other serious injuries resulting from unsafe areas
In any of these cases, casino property owners and other parties could be responsible, making it important to hold them accountable and recover compensation for victims and their families, which could prevent future instances from occurring.
Understanding Negligent Security Laws in Las Vegas
Like other states, Nevada has negligent security laws in place to keep people protected in public spaces, including casinos, hotels, concert venues, nightclubs, parking lots, apartment complexes, and sports stadiums. Through these laws, property owners, security personnel, and other parties are liable when people are assaulted in a casino or otherwise suffer injuries, psychological distress, or other damages because of those parties’ negligence.
Nevada also has the most casinos of any state, with around 345 casinos in total. As a result, casinos are among the most popular businesses in the state and Las Vegas that require adequate security. Negligent security refers to the failure of a business to provide adequate security for patrons and minimize the risk of accidents and criminal activity to a reasonable extent.
There are many forms of negligent security, including an insufficient number of security staff, inadequate security training, a lack of surveillance cameras that work, poor lighting in certain areas, unsecured doors, and a delayed response or complete failure to respond to obvious signs of danger.
Security negligence is a factor in Las Vegas fatalities in some cases, often as the result of preventable crimes and accidents.
When property owners or others are responsible for negligent security, victims may be able to seek compensation from these parties with a negligent security claim or lawsuit.
What Steps Should You Take if You Were Assaulted in a Las Vegas Casino?
Whether at a casino or another venue, it’s important to take the right steps to increase your chances of succeeding with a casino assault lawsuit or another type of negligent security case.
The following are actions to take immediately following a negligent security incident in a casino:
Report the Incident
The first step, if you don’t require immediate medical care, is to notify the casino’s management staff along with local law enforcement of the assault or another incident. This step is essential, as it can clearly indicate that negligence occurred to all parties involved and generate a police report that could help you prove that negligence was responsible.
The police report could also corroborate your claims to support your case overall, increasing your chances of successfully recovering compensation.
Document the Scene of the Incident
It’s also critical to document the scene as much as possible shortly after the incident, including photos or video footage of the area where the incident occurred, any noticeable injuries, and instances of poor security that could have facilitated an assault or another incident.
In a busy environment like a casino, you may also be able to identify and get the contact information of many witnesses.
Get Medical Attention
Regardless of the severity of your injuries, it’s also important to seek professional care from a doctor to assess, diagnose, and prescribe treatment for your injuries. Medical records are essential in many negligent security claims, as they tie the incident to the injury and prove the extent of the damages. However, if you wait too long to seek medical attention, not only can it be harder to prove that the incident caused your injuries, but your injuries could also worsen over time without proper care.
Speak With a Las Vegas Injury Lawyer
Once you’ve taken the above initial steps, you’ll want to consult a personal injury attorney to discuss your claim or lawsuit. You might ask, “Can you sue a casino after getting injured in an assault?” An experienced attorney who’s handled negligent security cases in the past might can answer this question for you in a free consultation.
How a Casino Injury Lawyer Can Help You Seek Compensation
There are several key ways a personal injury lawyer may be able to assist you after being assaulted in a casino or experiencing another incidence of negligent security. For example, an attorney in this practice area could:
Identify All Liable Parties
In many cases, property owners are the main liable party in negligent security cases, as they may fail to ensure there are sufficient security measures installed in facilities. However, other parties could be responsible for negligent security instances, including security personnel and companies, management, event organizers, and maintenance contractors.
Your lawyer could look at the evidence involved to determine precisely who is liable and answer questions like, “Is a hotel liable for sex trafficking?”
Gather and Organize Evidence
Another crucial way an experienced lawyer can help is by collecting and organizing relevant evidence supporting a claim or suit. There are many pieces of evidence that could benefit your case, such as:
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Recordings of the incident and scene
- Witness statements
- Maintenance records
- Prior incident records
Additionally, your attorney could hire a security expert to provide expert testimony in a case, determining how inadequate security measures contributed to an instance of assault or another type of incident.
Calculate Compensation
Before suing a casino or another business, you must also know the true value of your case based on all the damages sustained. There are many damages involved in these cases, including economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic damages cover the financial losses resulting from being assaulted in a casino or another type of incident, including medical expenses, lost income, lost earning potential, rehabilitation costs, and repairs to damaged property.
Non-economic damages also often play a part in these cases, with victims of assault frequently suffering emotional distress, pain and suffering, trauma, and other personal losses.
If a party acted with gross negligence or malicious intent, you may also be able to pursue punitive damages with the help of your lawyer. These damages aim to make an example of defendants whose egregious behavior leads to serious injuries, fatalities, and various damages.
Negotiate With Insurance Companies
When filing a negligent security claim against a casino, it’s essential to have an attorney to assist with this process. Negotiations can be difficult, especially when Las Vegas casinos often have comprehensive insurance policies that protect them against general and premises liability.
Insurance companies will try hard to minimize or reject claims or lawsuits, making it important to know how to navigate the claims process and effectively support your case with clear evidence and sound arguments. Your attorney would know the worth of your case and help pursue total compensation, making counteroffers to any initial offers that insurers make.
Proceed With a Lawsuit
While the majority of negligent security cases end with an insurance settlement, your attorney may decide to proceed with a lawsuit and take your case to court if you are unable to reach an agreement with the casino’s owners, insurers, or other parties.
Your attorney could represent you in court to navigate the legal process from opening argument to settlement, helping you reach a favorable settlement in a trial setting. However, your case may not go to court even if it winds up in a lawsuit if your lawyer can effectively negotiate a settlement before taking the case to trial.
Connect With the Right Attorney
With the help of a reputable, experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyer, you could succeed with a case against liable parties after being assaulted in a casino or experiencing other types of damaging negligence. Turn to George Bochanis Injury Law for help from reliable attorneys, and contact us today for a free consultation.
