There are 23 elevators on the Las Vegas Strip, and, of course, there are hundreds more all over the city. What all these machines have in common, though, is that they all require regular maintenance and upkeep to work properly.
A lack of appropriate care by landowners in Sin City can sometimes lead to visitors suffering serious and even life-threatening accidents, and a Las Vegas elevator accident lawyer can help.
If you were recently hurt in an elevator accident, you should get in touch with a Las Vegas premises liability lawyer from Shook & Stone Injury Lawyers as soon as possible. We have more than 150 years of combined experience to put to work for you.
Why Elevator Accidents Happen in Las Vegas
An elevator accident should never happen. If it does, someone did not do their job in ensuring the property is staffed. Some of the most common causes of elevator accidents include:
- Lack of maintenance and upkeep
- Mechanical failures
- Electrical failures
- Mis-leveling
- Failure to display warning signs
- Door malfunctions
- Old or outdated systems
- Wear and tear
Property owners must maintain these systems. If they fail to do so, they create an incredible risk of serious injury and the loss of life. Our elevator accident lawyer in Las Vegas is ready to help you if you were hurt.
Determining Who Is Responsible for Your Elevator Injuries
If you are involved in an elevator accident, it becomes critical to focus on your injury recovery and healing, but you also want to capture any evidence available at the time. Take photos and speak to those involved to find out how this happened. That matters because more than one party could be responsible for your injuries and losses:
- The property owner: The property owner is typically responsible for accidents on their property, especially if a breakdown occurs due to poorly maintained systems.
- The manufacturer: If we can demonstrate that the elevator failed due to its design or manufacturing, the manufacturer could be held responsible.
- The maintenance company: If a third party is hired to maintain the elevator, including for safety inspections, and fails to do so properly, it could be held accountable.
Our objective as your Las Vegas elevator accident lawyer is to fully understand all parties responsible. That way, we can seek fair compensation for you for all of your losses.
The Las Vegas personal injury lawyer at Shook & Stone Injury Lawyers also fights for you to get justice after such a difficult accident.
Value of an Elevator Accident Claim
While getting caught up in an accident caused by a defective elevator is virtually always a traumatic experience, the only thing that affects the financial value of an ensuing lawsuit or settlement demand is how bad the injuries stemming from the incident are.
This is because the purpose of personal injury litigation is not to give you an arbitrary amount of money as an apology but instead to reimburse you for specific losses you have sustained—and often will sustain in the future—because of another person’s misconduct.
Specific damages that often come into play during elevator injury cases in Las Vegas include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost work income or working ability
- Personal property damage/loss
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Emotional anguish and trauma
- Lost overall enjoyment of life and other effects of permanent disfigurement/disability
Among other things, your dedicated attorney from Shook & Stone Injury Lawyers can explain what losses you may be able to seek recovery for during a free initial consultation.
Learn more about our team today and how we can help you.
Getting Around Common Procedural Obstacles
Your legal representative can also help ensure that restrictions placed on personal injury claims by Nevada state law do not unfairly impede your pursuit of compensation.
To start with, they can help build and file the strongest possible claim within the filing deadline set by the statute of limitations, which is usually two years after the date on which your injury actually occurred.
On top of that, a lawyer can fight back against allegations that you were at fault for your elevator injury because you were negligent in some way.
This can be crucial to keeping you from being assigned a percentage of comparative fault by the court overseeing your case, which in turn could lead to your final damage award being reduced by that same percentage or even to your case being thrown out of court altogether.
Modern elevators are deceptively complex pieces of machinery, and even a small fault or malfunction can have very big consequences for anyone using the machine when the error happens.
Fortunately, just like with other types of hazardous property conditions, you may be able to demand comprehensive compensation from the landowner(s) or property manager(s) who failed to keep you safe by keeping these devices in good working order.
What to Do After an Elevator Accident
If you are involved in any type of accident in an elevator, it becomes critical that you put your future in your own hands. Do not wait for others to take action; instead, protect yourself in any way you can. After calling for help by calling 911, your next steps should include:
- If possible, stay safe and out of harm’s way. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions on remaining safe.
- Take photos and video of what occurred, why it happened, and any evidence of what took place. If there are injuries, take photos of those as well (always prioritizing your care and well-being).
- Gather the names of anyone else involved. You also want to gather the names of those who helped you or witnessed what took place. That includes any staff on duty.
- Get to the hospital for medical care. Follow all the recommended care steps from your doctor.
- Contact our attorney.
Our Las Vegas elevator accident attorney knows how critical timing is. You deserve a legal team ready to fight for you when you are hurt. We are happy to be there for you during this time.
Remember that you have just two years (NRS: Chapter 11) from the date of the accident to take legal action – contact us as soon as possible.
Discuss Legal Options With a Las Vegas Elevator Accident Attorney Today
At Shook & Stone Injury Lawyers, we have years of experience helping people like you get paid fairly for accidents like yours all over the state of Nevada.Â
Call today to get started on your possible claim over an elevator accident in Las Vegas. Our elevator accident attorney in Las Vegas is ready to fight for your right to compensation.
