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What Kind of Damages Can You Recover After an Accident in Nevada?


— April 20, 2022

If you lose someone in an accident caused by someone’s negligence, you are entitled to damages covering the funeral and burial expenses.


Accidents happen when you least expect them. You take your bike for a ride on a Saturday afternoon and a distracted driver slams into you. Or you go down to your favorite casino in Las Vegas and you slip and fall on the stairs nobody warned you were wet. If you sustain serious injuries, you’re looking at eye-watering medical bills, not to mention lost wages for the duration of your recovery. In order to recover damages you’ll have to make a personal injury claim and you should look up the best accident lawyers in Nevada to guide you through the process.

Types of damages

Accident lawyers in Las Vegas deal mostly with motor vehicle accidents, as these account for the majority of personal injury claims made in Nevada. However, they can also help you if you had a slip and fall type of accident in which the owner of the premises had a duty to ensure public safety. Injuries caused by defective products also qualify as accidents. 

There are three types of damages that you can claim following an accident in the state of Nevada:

Economic damages

This sort of damage covers your medical bills and can include the cost of your rehabilitation programs, as well as any alterations to the house that might be necessary if you’ll require the use of a wheelchair or you’ll be bed bound for a long period of time.

At the same time, the economic damages should compensate you for your lost wages, including future earnings if you won’t be able to resume your old job.

If you lose someone in an accident caused by someone’s negligence, you are entitled to damages covering the funeral and burial expenses.

Non-economic damages

This type of damage is meant to compensate you for all the pain and suffering caused by the accident and the injuries you sustained. If you’re left with a temporary or permanent disability, this might force you to give up on many of the activities you used to enjoy. Your settlement will have to include loss of enjoyment damages.

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Keep in mind that your spouse and your children may also be entitled to claim this type of damages. For instance, your kids will suffer tremendously if you won’t be able to take them to soccer practice and watch their every game like you used to, and those responsible should pay for that. You’ll need to seek advice from an experienced Nevada accident lawyer as you can be certain the insurance company won’t willingly offer you this type of damage. 

Punitive damages

As the name implies, punitive damages are meant to punish those that did something particularly bad. For instance, if you are seriously injured in a car crash caused by a drunk driver that individual should pay for their irresponsible behavior. 

Your lawyer will probably suggest filing a lawsuit against the party at fault. The value of the punitive damages you can be awarded depends on the value of your compensatory damages, the economic and non-economic damages. If, for instance, your compensatory damages are estimated at over $100,000, you can receive three times as much in punitive damages. If your compensatory damages are below $100,000 the punitive damages are capped at $300,000. 

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