Las Vegas Car Accident Lawyers

Experienced Attorneys in Las Vegas Helping You Seek Justice After Auto Collisions

Around 90% of households in Las Vegas own an automobile. This shows just how essential a motor vehicle is to living and working in our city. Unfortunately, this high ownership rate also means there are more people on the roadways. Combine this with the constant influx of tourists entering the area, and it’s clear why traffic collisions have become such an issue in our city. If you or a loved one have been injured in such a collision, you may be confused about how to move forward. Fortunately, you don’t have to shoulder this burden on your own. A car accident lawyer in Las Vegas may be able to help.

At High Stakes Injury Law, our team of personal injury attorneys has spent years fighting for the rights of Las Vegas citizens and visitors. It’s an unfortunate distinction, but Nevada ranks within the top 10 American states with the worst drivers. If the negligence of one of these drivers resulted in you being in an auto accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation. The important thing to remember is that Nevada law can be complex when it comes to liability and the assignment of damages. That’s why our law firm offers free consultations to injury victims.

Let us help you understand how to proceed with your case. Call (702) 444-3228 or reach out to us online to get started.

Table of Contents

• How Is Fault Decided in Las Vegas Car Accidents?
• What Are the Most Common Causes of Auto Accidents in Las Vegas?
• What Types of Damages Are Available Under Personal Injury Law?
• Can At-Fault Accident Victims File a Claim?
• Do You Need a Personal Injury Attorney to Seek Compensation?
• Is There a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Claim in Nevada?
• Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Las Vegas Today

How Is Fault Decided in Las Vegas Car Accidents?

For a personal injury claim to be successful, it must be established that at least one party is at fault. This means their actions led to the damages suffered in a car accident. Sometimes this is clear — such as when a vehicle rear-ends another car that is stopped at a red light. However, there may be times when liability is less obvious. For instance, perhaps a city government failed to maintain its roads, and a pothole led to a collision. Cases involving underage drunk driving can also be tricky since it’s possible that a private party who served the underage driver could be held liable as well.

However, there are typically three elements involved when deciding fault in a Las Vegas auto accident:

• Duty of care: All drivers have a duty to avoid actions that increase the risk of injury to others. This means they’re expected to avoid negligent, reckless, and illegal acts behind the wheel.
• Violation of duty: Violating a duty of care increases the risk of injury to others. Improper lane changes, running red lights, and driving drunk all violate a person’s duty of care.
• Injury causation: Violating a duty of care must result in damages for a car accident case to be successful. Physical injuries, property damage, or emotional distress may all qualify.

Understanding the elements of a successful car accident claim is a good start, but remember that this area of law can be complex. Our Las Vegas personal injury law firm has seen many cases where these elements exist, but victims were not allowed to recover compensation. That’s because every car crash has its own unique set of circumstances to consider. In some cases, you may never even have to prove these factors in court since the majority of personal injury claims are settled before trial. To better understand who was at fault for your accident and how best to proceed, consider contacting our Las Vegas car accident attorneys today.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Auto Accidents in Las Vegas?

Car accidents can result in widely differing outcomes. One person may walk away with nothing more than rattled nerves — but someone else could end up facing years of medical treatment. Even more scary is the fact that these two individuals could’ve been involved in the same accident. Regardless of the outcome of a car crash, however, the most common causes are relatively unchanging. If you or a loved one sustained car accident injuries, there’s a good chance that the underlying cause is one of the following:

• Distracted driving
• Road rage
• Intoxication
• Reckless driving
• Failure to stop or yield
• Speeding
• Weather conditions
• Road hazards
• Fatigue
• Improper lane changes

While these make up the majority of auto accident causes, every personal injury law firm has seen other issues that lead to collisions. For instance, improper maintenance on tour buses has led to serious accidents. Kids joyriding in vehicles is another potential hazard. The important thing to remember is that the cause of your accident will play an essential role in your case. Investigating the collision to identify that cause — along with who is accountable — is one of the many tasks we handle at High Stakes Injury Law. And since we work on a contingency-fee basis, you will never pay a dime unless we recover compensation on your behalf.

What Types of Damages Are Available Under Personal Injury Law?

Car accident victims may be entitled to a variety of damages under Nevada law. These essentially fall into three separate categories: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Economic damages — also known as special damages — relate to monetary loss. Any financial issues you encounter due to your injury fall into this category. Non-economic damages — also known as general damages — cover losses that cannot be quantified in dollar amounts. For instance, there is no set price for a potential decade of neck pain that isn’t getting better with treatment.

The following list includes some of the most common forms of general and special damages:

• Lost wages
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Medical bills
• Therapeutic costs
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of enjoyment in life
• Future medical expenses

Those who are injured in car accidents will often get contacted by the at-fault party’s insurance company. The company will try its best to have you accept a low settlement offer. In fact, they may try to direct the conversation in such a way that causes you to admit fault. If they’re successful, you could lose your right to seek compensation. Even if they make an offer that seems fair, though, you can bet that things like emotional distress and all your future medical considerations aren’t accounted for. Don’t let an insurance adjuster take advantage of you. A skilled auto accident lawyer in Las Vegas can handle your case.

Can At-Fault Accident Victims File a Claim?

After an automobile accident, it’s important for you to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer before dealing with the insurance company. This will minimize the risk of an adjuster taking advantage of you. If you’ve already spoken with an adjuster, though, it’s possible that they tried to get you to admit fault. Then again, you may have misspoken at the accident scene and led the responding officer to believe you shared some of the blame. This can look very bad in a police report. Fortunately, Nevada is a modified comparative negligence state. This means even partial liability on your part won’t disqualify you from compensation.

That’s because Nevada looks at the proportion of blame when it comes to car accidents. For instance, envision a scenario where a driver is injured when another motorist runs a red light. The other motorist’s negligent driving obviously caused the accident, but what if the injured victim wasn’t wearing a seatbelt? In such a situation, the courts may decide that the plaintiff was 20% at fault for their own injury because they didn’t take proper safety precautions. This would reduce their eventual court award by 20% — meaning a $1 million verdict would be reduced to $800,000. Still, substantial compensation is possible. Contact a car accident lawyer in Las Vegas today to better understand your case.

Do You Need a Personal Injury Attorney to Seek Compensation?

After an automobile accident, the insurance company will likely contact you to discuss a settlement offer. If you don’t like what they’re offering, you can head up to the courthouse yourself and file a lawsuit. You can even argue your case before a judge or jury on your own. With these legal remedies available to you, you might be wondering why you even need a Las Vegas car accident attorney. After all, no one in Nevada is required to have legal representation to seek appropriate compensation. Unfortunately, going into this without a lawyer on your side may reduce your likelihood of receiving financial recovery.

That’s because the deck is essentially stacked against victims in motor vehicle accidents. The insurance company is going to do everything in its power to lowball you. This is an understandable approach for them — albeit not very ethical — since profit is their main goal. These adjusters are skilled at their jobs, and they can sugarcoat an unfair settlement in such a way that you’ll be convinced you’ve won. It will only be later that you realize their offer won’t come close to covering your long-term costs. Unfortunately, things can get even worse if you represent yourself in a courtroom.

That’s because you’ll be up against experienced car accident attorneys hired by the insurance company. Even if fault seems clear in your motor vehicle accident, the insurer’s legal counsel can make life incredibly difficult for you. In the end, they might even reduce your eventual court award to a point below the initial settlement offer. This is why statistics consistently show that individuals with legal advocates on their side receive higher settlements and court awards on average. Car accident cases can be stressful and burdensome, but with a legal professional on your side, a great weight can be lifted off your shoulders.

Is There a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Claim in Nevada?

After being injured in a car accident, victims often want to focus on healing. This is a completely logical feeling. After all, no one wants to deal with settlement negotiations, investigations, depositions, and lawsuits while they’re still recovering from injuries. Unfortunately, you don’t have all the time in the world. That’s because, in most cases, Nevada has a two-year statute of limitations on recovering compensation for personal injuries and wrongful death. This is meant to ensure that everyone is treated equitably under the law, but as any car accident attorney can attest, it’s often a burden on accident victims.

However, there are some exceptions to Nevada’s statute of limitations. For instance, you may be able to sue after the two-year deadline if specific information was hidden from you after a collision. Such exceptions are few and far between, however, so reaching out to a law firm as soon as possible is likely in your best interest. It’s also worth noting that your deadline to file an injury claim may extend to three years, but this is only the case if a medical mistake after your car accident resulted in serious injuries. These deadlines can be complex, so don’t be afraid to reach out to High Stakes Injury Law today for a free case evaluation.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Las Vegas Today

It’s an unfortunate reality, but Las Vegas car accident statistics have been going in the wrong direction over the last few years. As the population of Clark County continues to increase, we can likely expect to see auto collisions and serious injuries go up as well. Being vigilant behind the wheel or while on Nevada streets can go a long way, but all the cautiousness in the world can’t stop a negligent driver. If you or a loved one has become a car accident victim due to the reckless or improper actions of another party, you’re no doubt concerned about how to move forward. A Las Vegas personal injury attorney may be able to help.

At High Stakes Injury Law, you’ll receive legal services from a team with more than 60 years of combined experience. We have spent four decades serving the citizens of Clark County directly, and in this time, our goal has always been to ensure our clients get justice. Automobile accidents are part of living in any metropolitan area, but that doesn’t mean you simply have to accept the consequences of a negligent driver.

Contact us today by calling (702) 444-3228 to schedule a free consultation. Our team of car accident lawyers in Las Vegas is committed to helping our clients receive maximum compensation.