Lawsuits for Injury Accidents at UNLV

Do universities have a special duty of care to protect students?

Universities do, in fact, have a special duty of care to protect students, which springs from their “special relationship” with students. It was determined in the case of the Regents of the University of California v. Superior Court (“Rosen”) that universities have an obligation to “protect students from foreseeable violent acts” and provide a safe learning environment.

What happened to make this rule a reality? 

UCLA student Katherine Rosen was in a chemistry classroom in 2009 when she was stabbed by another student, whom the university was aware had problems with mental health. The other student was receiving treatment at UCLA, where it had been determined that he suffered from “paranoid delusions” and “possible schizophrenia.”

The Court determined that since the University knew of the assailant’s condition and failed to warn or protect Katherine, it was negligent and responsible for her catastrophic injury. In that case, the Univesity did not live up to its special duty of care to protect students and provide a safe learning environment. 

It’s important to note that a university’s duties only extend to enrolled students when they are engaged in curricular activities or something closely related to their education. So, any student who sues UNLV for an act of violence committed against them must prove that they were engaged in school-sanctioned educational activities at the time of their injury in order to file a university injury lawsuit. 

How do you file a university claim?

If you’re injured in an auto accident on the University of Las Vegas campus, the first thing you need to do is seek medical attention. Even if you don’t feel any serious pain or have evidence of any injuries, you should still visit the emergency room to get examined. 

Sometimes people are injured in accidents, and they don’t feel any pain, so their injuries are not revealed until they get a proper examination. There may be internal injuries or other unseen conditions that are not immediately seen or felt. Regardless of whether or not you exhibit any symptoms following your accident, you should go to the emergency room.

Be sure to keep track of all your medical bills and any expenses that arise due to your injury. If it’s determined that the University or another party is at fault for your injuries, you’ll be due compensation for your medical bills. Those bills, along with your loss of wages and other factors, will also help to decide how much you should be rewarded for pain and suffering. 

To file a lawsuit against a university, go to the small claims court, and submit the required paperwork, naming the university as the defendant. After that, the courts will issue a subpoena notifying the university that it is subject to court proceedings. Once the University has received its subpoena, it will have a chance to respond and prepare its defense.

To prove the university is liable for your collision, you must be able to prove that your accident was the result of the University of Las Vegas not providing safe driving conditions. The university has vast resources beyond your imagination, so that’s not a battle you want to fight alone. 

You’ll want a lawyer with experience handling cases like yours against large schools and companies. And if you google “auto injury attorney UNLV,” you’ll see that Adam S. Kutner ranks as one of the top options in all of Nevada. 

Don’t underestimate the power of having the right lawyer on your side. The good news is that, with an experienced car accident attorney working on your case, you’ll more than likely never have to see the inside of a courtroom to get your due compensation.

For example, if you were driving around campus and hit a deep pothole that damaged your car’s axle and caused you to lose control and barrel into another vehicle, you could be held as the liable party. However, an experienced UNLV personal injury lawyer could help you to prove that the university is at fault rather than you, due to unsafe road conditions. The university would then be liable for any property damage or personal injuries resulting from the accident. 

Can you file a sports injury claim or lawsuit?

When engaging in athletic activities, injuries are prone to happen. After all, injuries are part of sports, and student-athletes compete at their own risk. Can they file a suit against the University of Las Vegas for a catastrophic injury? The answer isn’t a simple one, but ultimately, yes. However, you must be able to prove that the university was responsible for the injury through negligence.

For instance, if you were on the practice field and suffered an injury because the field was in less than optimal conditions, you could have a case. Universities have a duty to provide student-athletes with safe spaces in which to train and compete as well as the proper safety equipment. 

Your best chances of winning your case lie in finding the right Las Vegas University personal injury lawyer to represent your case. It’s vital that you choose an attorney with experience handling cases against companies and universities with vast resources like UNLV. 

You don’t want to enter a university injury lawsuit without experienced and competent representation. It can be intimidating to go up against a university as large as UNLV, but Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, has experience taking large companies and universities to task for negligence. Give me a call, and I’ll make sure those responsible are held accountable for your personal injury.