Las Vegas Premises Liability
Lawyer
Las Vegas premises liability lawyer Chris Burk ensures property owners are held accountable when their negligence causes victims like you to get hurt. If you were injured at a hotel or casino on the strip, in a grocery store or shopping mall, at an amusement park or zoo, or while visiting a friend, our injury law firm can help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Call: 702-620-2020
Did Dangerous Property Conditions Cause Your Injuries?
Dangerous property conditions can lead to serious injuries and deaths for unsuspecting victims. Under Nevada law, property owners are required to keep their premises in relatively safe condition, free from foreseen hazards that may cause harm to the people who are lawfully on their property. Despite premises liability laws in Las Vegas, countless victims suffer severe, disabling, and even fatal injuries every day because of fall hazards, poor lighting, dangerous animals, inadequate security, and other risks.
When people are injured because of hazardous conditions on someone else’s property, the responsible property owner, business owner, manager, or another entity may be held liable for damages. Identifying all of the responsible parties and contributing factors and proving liability, however, can often be challenging. Premises liability attorney Christopher Burk can help you determine the hazards that contributed to your accident and who may have been negligent.
Hazardous Property Conditions Are Everywhere in Las Vegas
Whether you’re shopping at a local store, swimming at the public pool, spending the day with your family at an amusement park, winning big at the casino, or visiting friends for a backyard barbeque, you have the right to expect the property you visit to be free from foreseeable danger. Since property owners are responsible for maintaining their buildings, equipment, and land to help ensure your safety, and they are required to warn you about any dangerous conditions you might encounter, that expectation is not unreasonable.
Unfortunately, hazardous property conditions still injure hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Unsafe decks and walkways, unprotected swimming pools, poorly maintained or defective equipment, hazardous chemicals, and vicious pets may be lurking where you would least expect. And while you have the duty to exercise a reasonable amount of caution when confronted by dangerous conditions on someone else’s property, when property owners know, or should know, about a hazard and they don’t take the necessary steps to help ensure your safety, they can be held liable for any injuries that result.
Table of Contents
Practice Areas
Property Owners Have a Duty of Care
The duty of care owed by the property owner to visitors and guests applies to most situations when people lawfully enter the premises. Even when injuries are caused by a third party, property owners can still be held liable for damages in most cases. If a third party brings a vicious dog on the property, for example, and the homeowner or business owner knew the animal was dangerous, the property owner can be held liable for injuries caused by a dog attack. The level of care a property owner owes, however, varies with the status of the guest.
When Invitees Are Injured
Property owners owe the highest level of care to invitees who visit their properties. They are obligated to identify and remedy hazardous conditions and warn invitees about existing dangers. Examples of invitees include hired workers, delivery persons, or patrons of a business. When invitees, like utility workers or salesmen, enter the property and are hurt, the property owner is liable for damages.
Licensee Injuries
When friends, relatives, or neighbors are invited onto a property, owners have a limited duty of care. They are required to warn licensees of known hazards that could foreseeably cause an injury. If licensees become injured due to dangerous conditions and they were not warned of the known risks, the owner can be held liable for medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.
Trespassers
Owners and managers are not generally required to ensure the safety of trespassers who enter their premises without permission, but there are exceptions. Property owners can be held liable for damages if they intentionally cause the trespasser to be injured or if they passively permit a trespasser to be harmed knowing he or she is in danger.
Additionally, property owners can be held liable for child trespasser injuries if:
- The child was hurt on a man-made condition on the premises
- The property owner knew or should have known that the child was likely to trespass and that a child could be hurt by the man-made condition
- The child was young enough not to appreciate the risk
- The risk of harm to the child outweighed the burden of remedying the danger
- The owner failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent harm to the child
See What Our Clients Say
Common Types of Premises Liability Cases in Las Vegas
Our Las Vegas injury law firm sees a wide range of premises liability cases that stem from dangerous property conditions.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Preventable slip, trip, and fall accidents cause severe injuries and deaths to countless victims every year in Las Vegas. Although the majority of personal injury cases involving slip and fall accidents are connected to injuries or deaths sustained in businesses or while people are at work, they frequently happen on residential properties as well.
Unsafe conditions that cause slip and fall accidents include:
- Wet or slippery walking surfaces
- Hallways and stairwells that are obstructed by debris
- Poorly-lit walking areas like dark stairwells or dim halls
- Areas with broken or missing handrails
Slip and fall accident lawyer Christopher Burk advises clients to take the following steps to protect their rights when slip and fall accidents occur.
- If serious injuries are sustained, fall victims should seek medical treatment right away. They should follow the advice of medical professionals and make sure to follow up with recommended visits and procedures.
- Preserving evidence in a slip and fall accident case is vital. If possible, victims should take pictures of the scene and the conditions or components that contributed to the fall.
- Victims should report the incident to the property owner or manager right away.
Dog Bites and Animal Attacks
A dog bite or attack by a vicious animal can cause puncture wounds, lacerations, and nerve damage. In many cases, dog bite victims require multiple surgeries, physical therapy, and psychological treatment after getting mauled. When attacks are severe, dog attacks can result in death.
In Las Vegas, animal owners are responsible for ensuring their unprovoked pets do not harm visitors and passersby whether they are on the owner’s private property or in a public area. When animal owners and handlers fail to control vicious pets, they can be held liable for damages when victims are harmed.
FAQs About Premises Liability in Las Vegas
Can I still recover compensation for my injuries if I signed a liability waiver?
Liability waivers generally only cover inherent risks. They are not airtight protections against liability for property owners. If your injury was caused by a dangerous property condition that could have been reasonably corrected, you may still be able to recover compensation for damages.
What damages are available in premises liability claims?
Victims who are injured by dangerous property conditions can file premises liability claims or personal injury lawsuits to recover compensation for lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.
I was injured at the mall. Who do I sue?
Liability for mall injuries can fall on various parties including but not limited to the property owner, business manager, cleaning company, maintenance crew, or security firm. To determine who you should sue, a premises liability lawyer will evaluate the location of your accident, the cause of your injury, and the parties who were responsible for maintaining safe conditions. In some cases, injury claims can be filed against multiple parties.
