Nevada Car Accident Laws, Lawyers and Lawsuits
A Comprehensive Overview of Nevada Car Accident Laws, Lawyers and Lawsuits
Casinos. Gambling. Deserts as far as the eye can see. These are just some of the images that come to mind when people think of Nevada. Of course, Nevada’s most popular city is the gambling mecca of America, Las Vegas. However, the state also contains other populated cities like Carson City and Reno. Despite the size and popularity of Las Vegas, the state as a whole only has approximately 2.7 million residents, making it the 35th most populated state in the Union. In this regard, Nevada’s population and demographics are akin to some other southwest states (which have large geographical boundaries but proportionally small populations.
Nevada is certainly a tourist destination, so residents will often share the roads with people from all over the country who have come to Nevada to risk their money or simply visit places like Lake Mead. This can make Nevada’s highways particularly crowded and dangerous. Car accidents do happen, and when they do a car accident lawsuit may be necessary for injured motorists and passengers to be able to obtain full and fair compensation.
Nevada Car Crashes and “Zero Fatalities”
The Nevada Department of Public Safety and the Department of Transportation enacted a program called “Zero Fatalities” that was designed to lower the number of traffic-related fatalities that occurred in Nevada. Statistics maintained by these agencies suggest the program may be producing fruit: in 2006 there were 451 traffic fatalities, but in 2014 there were only 291. While this is still a significant number (about 20 traffic-related deaths per month), it is certainly a better number than 451. The number of serious injuries resulting from car crashes has also decreased. Whereas there were 2,011 serious injuries caused by car crashes in 2006, by 2014 that number had dropped to 1,209.
Part of the success of Zero Fatalities is undoubtedly due to educating Nevada drivers about negligent and careless behaviors that can contribute to a car crash. This can include drinking while driving, driving under the influence of drugs or other impairing substances, texting while driving, driving while distracted, disobeying speed limits and traffic control devices like stop signs and traffic lights, and other similar behaviors. These are just a few examples of careless behaviors that can result in a serious or even fatal car accident. When these car accidents occur, individuals whose negligent behavior contributed to the crash may be held responsible for the resulting injuries.
Nevada is a “Fault Based” Insurance State
Nevada is similar to many other states in that it requires motorists living in the state to carry sufficient fault-based auto insurance to pay for any injuries or deaths that may result from the motorist’s careless operation of his or her car. The insurance is called “fault based” because the injured party would be responsible for seeking compensation from the at-fault motorist’s insurance carrier. If the policy limits of the at-fault motorist’s policy are not sufficient to fully compensate the injured victim, that victim may decide to seek compensation through a car crash lawsuit.
If a lawsuit is filed, the injury victim will need to show that the at-fault driver operated his or her car in a careless manner or engaged in reckless behavior and this caused the victim’s injuries. The victim may be able to recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other similar expenses and losses. Compensation may be available even if the victim him- or herself contributed to the occurrence of the accident. So long as the victim is 50 percent or less responsible for causing the accident, compensation will be available to him or her (albeit such compensation will be reduced to account for the role of the victim’s negligent actions).
Nevada Statute of Limitations
Drivers wishing to file a lawsuit after a car accident must generally do so within two years of the accident’s occurrence. Nevada’s statute of limitations keeps car accident cases and other personal injury cases from becoming too “old” and helps ensure that evidence and witnesses needed to adequately present the case would still be able to be found. Filing a lawsuit after the expiration of the statute of limitations will (almost) always result in the lawsuit being dismissed immediately and the victim recovering no compensation at all. It is vital, therefore, that car crash injury victims who are interested in filing a lawsuit do so as early as possible.
Discuss Your Lawsuit with Stern Law, PLLC
Contact Stern Law, PLLC at (844) 808-7529 if you or a loved one suffered an injury or loss because of a car crash. You may be entitled to compensation from the at-fault driver and/or his or her insurance company. You only have a limited amount of time to pursue the compensation you need, so contact a car accident lawyer at Stern Law, PLLC as soon as possible to help protect your legal rights.
