Las Vegas Car Accident Lawyer
Still waiting for the insurance company to take your car accident seriously? Adjusters know that the longer a claim drags on, the more pressure you may feel to accept less just to get it over with.
If you were hurt in a Las Vegas car accident, call 702-620-2020 for a free consultation. There are no upfront attorney fees.
I’m Christopher D. Burk, founder of Burk Injury Lawyers. For more than 20 years, I have helped injured people in Las Vegas push back when insurance companies try to dispute fault, downplay injuries, or pay less than a claim is worth.
Our law firm offers:
What I Look for in Your Las Vegas Car Accident Case
When you come to me after a car accident, I am not just looking at the police report and your medical bills. I am looking for the details that could strengthen your case, weaken the insurance company’s arguments, and affect what you recover.
I want to know:
- Is there traffic-camera footage, dashcam video, surveillance, or vehicle data that shows what really happened?
- Did the other driver say something that does not match the physical evidence?
- Are there multiple insurance policies or other parties that may be responsible?
- Did the crash aggravate an old injury that the insurance company may try to blame instead?
- Will you need future treatment, surgery, rehabilitation, or time away from work?
- Is the insurance company looking only at what you have lost so far while ignoring what this injury may cost you later?
I have handled injury claims in Las Vegas for more than 20 years. My job is to find the issues that matter before the insurance company uses them against you, then build your case around the evidence.
What Changes When I Take Over Your Car Accident Case?
Once I take your case, you do not have to figure out what to say to the adjuster, which records to send, whether a settlement offer is reasonable, or what evidence the insurance company may be using against you.
I Deal With the Insurance Company
You should not have to spend your recovery arguing with an adjuster about fault, treatment, or why you are still hurting. I handle those communications, respond to requests for information, and deal with settlement negotiations so you are not being pressured into decisions before you understand what your case may be worth.
I Build the Evidence Around What Actually Happened
A police report is only one piece of the case. Depending on the crash, I may look for traffic-camera footage, surveillance video, witness statements, vehicle damage, phone records, medical records, or accident reconstruction evidence that helps show how the collision happened and what it has cost you.
I Help You Keep the Case Moving While You Get Treatment
Your medical treatment is important for your health and for documenting your injuries. If you are having trouble finding appropriate care after a crash, my team can help you understand the options available to you. In some cases, providers may agree to delay payment until your claim is resolved.
Hurt by a Jerk? Better call Burk. Call 702-620-2020 for a free consultation.
How Much Is Your Las Vegas Car Accident Case Worth?
One of the first questions you may have after a crash is, “How much is my insurance claim worth?”
There is no honest way to put a number on your case before we understand what happened, how badly you were hurt, and how the accident has affected your life. When I evaluate a car accident claim, I look at factors such as:
- Your medical treatment so far. I review the care you have already received, including hospital bills, doctor visits, specialists, medication, imaging, therapy, and other treatment related to the crash.
- What your doctors expect going forward. If you may need surgery, rehabilitation, injections, in-home care, medical equipment, or other future treatment, those costs can become an important part of your claim.
- Your lost income and ability to work. If your injuries caused you to miss work, reduce your hours, change jobs, or limit what you can earn in the future, I look at both the income you have already lost and what you may lose later.
- How the injuries have affected your life. Pain, physical limitations, sleep problems, loss of independence, and the inability to do things you normally enjoy can all affect the value of a claim. There is no fixed formula for these losses. The evidence has to show how the injuries have actually changed your day-to-day life.
- Whether you share any fault for the crash. Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule. Under Nevada law, you may still recover compensation as long as your share of the fault is not greater than the combined fault of the party or parties you are seeking recovery from. Your compensation is then reduced by your percentage of fault.
- The insurance coverage available. The value of a claim can also depend on the liability limits, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and any other insurance policies that may apply.
The point is not to guess at a number early. It is to understand the full financial and personal impact of the crash before you accept an offer that may not account for what you will still be dealing with months or years from now.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle
As an experienced Las Vegas car accident lawyer and a long time resident of the Entertainment Capital of the World, I have represented injured victims in some of the most complicated and unique accident cases imaginable, including:
T-Bone Crashes
T-bone crashes often come down to who had the right of way. Traffic-camera footage, signal timing, witness statements, and vehicle damage can help show whether another driver ran a light, failed to yield, or turned into your path.
Rear-End Accidents
Rear-end collisions may appear straightforward, but insurers can still dispute how the crash happened or whether your medical problems were caused by the impact.
Table of Contents
Practice Areas
Client Testimonial
Chris’s passion for his clients and is beyond reproach. My needs were met from start to finish. If I could use one word to describe the experience, ‘turnkey’ would best fit. After my accident and subsequent injuries, I didn’t know how to approach insurance carriers to discuss my situation. Chris worked with me every step of the way in getting me the appropriate care needed for my injuries, damages, and communicated regularly on all aspects of my case.
Our Case Results Speak for Themselves
Motorcycle/work truck accident
Go Kart/ATV accident
Semi-truck accident
Rear-end accident
Motor vehicle accident
Motor vehicle accident
Multi-Car Accidents
When three or more vehicles are involved, figuring out who caused what can get complicated quickly. More than one driver may share fault, and several insurance policies may come into play.
Rollover Accidents
A rollover accident may involve more than another driver’s negligence. Depending on what happened, I may also investigate the vehicle, tires, roadway, or other factors that contributed to the crash.
Head-On Collisions
In a head-on collision, determining why a vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic is often a central issue. Driver distraction, impairment, unsafe passing, and roadway conditions may all need to be investigated.
Sideswipe Accidents
Sideswipe crashes often lead to arguments over who changed lanes or drifted from their lane. Dashcam footage, surveillance video, witnesses, and the location of vehicle damage can help establish what happened.
Pedestrian Accidents
If you were hit while walking, I look at issues such as right of way, traffic signals, crosswalks, visibility, driver speed, and distraction to determine why the driver failed to avoid the collision.
How to File a Police Report After a Car Accident in Las Vegas
If police respond to your Las Vegas car accident, the investigating agency will generally prepare the traffic collision report.
If law enforcement does not investigate the crash at the scene, you may also have to file Nevada’s SR-1 Report of Traffic Crash with the DMV. Nevada requires the SR-1 within 10 days when the crash was not investigated by law enforcement and involved injury, death, or more than $750 in damage.
For crashes within LVMPD jurisdiction, you can report a traffic collision through LVMPD or call the non-emergency line at 702-828-3111 for guidance on how to proceed.
If your crash happened outside LVMPD jurisdiction, such as in Henderson, North Las Vegas, or Boulder City, contact the appropriate local agency. For freeway crashes, contact the Nevada State Police.
Injured in a Crash? Here’s What to Do Next
Most of my clients contact me after the initial shock of the accident wears off and they start wondering what they need to do to get compensation for their injuries.
By then, the insurance company has usually already started contacting them with questions about their condition, what happened, and whether they are willing to give a recorded statement. Medical bills may be coming in, they may be missing work, and they are starting to realize the accident is going to affect more than just their car.
If that is where you are right now, here is what I recommend:
Keep Following Your Doctor’s Treatment Plan
Go to your follow-up appointments and follow your doctor’s recommendations. If your symptoms change or get worse, tell your medical provider. Your records should reflect what you are actually experiencing and how the injuries are affecting you.
Be Careful With the Insurance Company
An adjuster may ask for a recorded statement, medical records, or a signed authorization allowing the company to obtain information about your medical history. Before you agree to something you do not fully understand, find out why they want it and how it could affect your claim.
Keep Records of What the Accident Is Costing You
Save your medical bills, pharmacy receipts, towing and rental-car expenses, repair information, and documents showing time you missed from work. If the injury is interfering with your job or daily activities, keep track of that too.
Save the Evidence You Already Have
Do not delete photos, videos, dashcam footage, text messages, insurance correspondence, or other records related to the crash. Evidence can disappear quickly, especially surveillance and traffic-camera footage.
Do Not Rush to Settle
An early settlement can sound appealing when bills are piling up, but you may not yet know whether you will need additional treatment or how long the injury will affect your ability to work and live normally. Once a claim is settled and released, you generally cannot reopen it because your condition turned out to be worse than expected.
Call Me Before the Insurance Company Gets Too Far Ahead
You do not have to know whether you have a “big case” before you call me. I can look at what has happened so far, explain what the insurance company is asking for, and tell you what I think your next move should be.
Determining What Caused Your Car Accident
Sometimes the cause of a crash is obvious. Other times, what happened is disputed, or more than one factor contributed to the collision.
When I investigate a car accident, I look at the evidence that can show what the other driver was doing before impact and whether anything else contributed to the crash.
Distracted Driving
If I suspect distraction, I may look for phone records, witness statements, dashcam footage, surveillance video, or other evidence showing whether the driver was texting, using GPS, eating, or otherwise not paying attention.
Impaired Driving
When alcohol or drugs may have played a role, police reports, field sobriety testing, toxicology results, witness statements, and bar or restaurant records may become important. Depending on the facts, impaired driving can also affect the value and strategy of the claim.
Fatigued Driving
Fatigue can be harder to prove, but work schedules, driving logs, travel history, witness statements, and the driver’s own statements may help show whether lack of sleep affected reaction time or judgment.
Speeding
Speed may be shown through vehicle data, skid marks, surveillance footage, witness statements, crash reconstruction, or the severity and location of vehicle damage.
Reckless Driving
Tailgating, unsafe lane changes, racing, road rage, and ignoring traffic signals can all become part of the liability analysis. Video evidence and eyewitness accounts are often especially useful in these cases.
Driver Inexperience
Inexperience by itself does not prove fault. What matters is whether the driver made an unsafe decision, such as failing to yield, merging improperly, misjudging traffic, or losing control of the vehicle.
Injured in an Uber or Lyft Accident?
Rideshare accidents can get complicated quickly because the insurance coverage may depend on what the Uber or Lyft driver was doing in the app when the crash happened.
If the driver was waiting for a ride request, heading to pick someone up, or already carrying a passenger, different insurance coverage may apply. I look at the driver’s status at the time of the crash and the policies that may be available before deciding where the claim should be made.
If you were injured in a Nevada rideshare accident, learn more about how these claims work on our dedicated rideshare accident page.
What If the Other Driver Does Not Have Insurance?
Nevada requires drivers to carry liability insurance, but that does not mean every driver on the road is properly insured. Sometimes the driver who caused your crash has no insurance at all. Other times, the available liability coverage is not enough to pay for the losses you suffered.
If that happens, I look at whether you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage available under your own policy. That coverage may help pay for losses caused by a driver who has no insurance or not enough insurance.
Hit-and-run crashes can raise similar issues. Nevada law allows uninsured motorist coverage to include injuries caused by a hit-and-run vehicle, but whether coverage applies in your case depends on your policy and the circumstances of the crash. If the driver who hit you cannot be identified, I can review your coverage and determine what options may still be available.
Frequently Asked Questions About Las Vegas Car Accident Cases
Do I Have a Car Accident Case?
You may have a case if another driver or company caused or contributed to the crash and you suffered injuries or other losses because of it.
When I review your case, I look at what caused the crash, what evidence is available, whether anyone is disputing fault, the medical treatment you need, how the accident has affected your work and daily life, and what insurance coverage may be available.
You do not need to have all of that figured out before you call me. That is part of my job.
What If I Was Partly at Fault for the Accident?
Being partly at fault does not automatically prevent you from recovering compensation in Nevada.
Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You may still recover if your share of the fault is not greater than the combined fault of the person or parties you are seeking compensation from. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.
If an insurance company is trying to put part of the crash on you, I look at the evidence before accepting its version of what happened.
Should I Give the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement?
Be careful before giving a recorded statement, especially to the other driver’s insurance company.
An adjuster may ask about how the crash happened, your injuries, your medical history, or things you said and did immediately afterward. Those answers can later be used to question your claim.
If you are not sure whether you should give a statement, talk to me before you agree to one.
What Should I Do If the Insurance Company Offers Me a Settlement?
You do not have to accept the first offer.
Before you settle, you should know whether your treatment is complete, whether you may need future medical care, how much income you have lost, and whether the accident will continue affecting your ability to work or live normally.
Once you sign a release and settle the claim, you generally cannot go back and ask for more because your injuries turned out to be worse than expected.
How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in Nevada?
In most Nevada car accident injury cases, you have two years to file a lawsuit.
That does not mean you should wait two years to start looking into your case. Video can be overwritten, witnesses can become difficult to locate, and other evidence can disappear long before the filing deadline arrives.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire Burk Injury Lawyers?
Your consultation is free, and there are no upfront attorney fees.
I handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee, which means you do not pay an attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Client Testimonial
“Mr. Burk did an amazing job when it came to my injury case. He even gave me his cell phone number. What other attorney does that? He followed up on a weekly basis, from Dr visits, to just checking on my well-being. I would highly recommend Mr. Burk to family, friends, & colleagues. Thank you again for all your help.”
Where to Obtain Medical Treatment After a Las Vegas Car Accident
There are several options for obtaining medical treatment for your auto accident injuries.
Emergency Room (ER): If you have sustained severe injuries, it’s crucial to seek immediate medical attention at the nearest emergency room. ERs are equipped to handle critical injuries and provide prompt care.
Urgent Care Centers: For non-life-threatening injuries that still require quick attention, urgent care centers offer walk-in services and can treat a range of injuries from fractures to minor wounds.
Primary Care Physician:If your injuries are less severe, you can schedule an appointment with your primary care physician. They can assess your condition, provide treatment, and refer you to specialists if necessary.
Specialists: Depending on the nature of your injuries, you may need to see specialists such as orthopedic doctors, neurologists, or physical therapists for specialized care.
Chiropractors and Physical Therapists: These professionals can help with musculoskeletal injuries, such as whiplash or back pain, and provide rehabilitation to aid in your recovery.
Pain Clinics: If you’re experiencing chronic pain after the accident, pain management clinics can provide treatments to alleviate your discomfort.
Diagnostic Centers: If you need imaging tests like X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, diagnostic centers can help diagnose and assess your injuries accurately.
Top Medical Providers Who Treat Car Accident Victims in Las Vegas
University Medical Center (UMC): UMC is a Level I Trauma Center and offers comprehensive trauma care for accident victims, including emergency services, surgeries, and rehabilitation.
Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center: Sunrise Hospital is equipped to handle a wide range of injuries sustained in car accidents, including emergency care, orthopedic services, and physical therapy.
Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center: For orthopedic injuries commonly resulting from car accidents, this center provides specialized care, including surgical and non-surgical treatments.
Spinal Institute of Nevada:This institute focuses on spine-related injuries and disorders, offering treatments for back and neck pain that often result from car accidents.
Remember to keep all medical records and bills for documentation purposes, as they may be necessary for insurance claims or legal proceedings related to the car accident.