Injured at a Las Vegas Airport? Our Escalator and Elevator Accident Lawyers Can Help

Understanding Liability for Airport Injuries: Who Is Responsible?

To hold anyone responsible for escalator or elevator accidents in Las Vegas airports, you must first prove negligence. Often, multiple parties can be held liable. Identifying the parties that could be involved is a crucial first step in pursuing Nevada airport injury claims.

Government-Owned Airports and Legal Liability

Harry Reid International Airport is a local government agency owned and operated by Clark County. In public transportation hubs, liability works differently. Claims against government entities are subject to different rules, stricter timelines, and a monetary cap under the legal doctrine of sovereign immunity. 

Similar laws may apply at other public airports, including:

• Reno-Tahoe International Airport
• Boulder City Airport
• Mesquite Airport

Without a case that meets certain requirements, bringing a lawsuit for public transportation hub injuries can be a formidable challenge.

Private Businesses and Third-Party Liability

Many private businesses lease space to operate within the airport, including:

• Baggage claim services
• Retail stores
• Restaurants
• Bars
• Gaming lounges
• Newsstands

Clark County is responsible for an airport injury in common areas. However, when it comes to property owner responsibility, airport vendors are on their own. 

Under Nevada airport premises liability laws, individual property owners, property managers, and maintenance companies can be held accountable for a separate legal duty to prevent dangerous conditions in their leased spaces.

The Role of the Elevator/Escalator Manufacturer

Under product liability laws, manufacturers and sometimes installers may be held liable for harm or losses a product causes. When it comes to Harry Reid International Airport injuries, these third parties could be found responsible if an accident or injury was caused by a design flaw or defect in the manufacturing process.

Common Causes of Escalator and Elevator Accidents at Airports 

At any South Las Vegas airport, new injuries are not uncommon. After an airport slip and fall, elevator and escalator riders often want to know how the accident happened. 

If you or a loved one has recently been injured, here are a few of the most common causes of airport escalator accidents and elevator injuries to help you make sense of what occurred in these common accident locations.

Escalator Malfunctions

Escalators are intricate machines subject to wear and tear and breakdowns. Issues that can lead to an airport escalator malfunction lawsuit include:

• Mechanical and electrical failures that cause sudden stops
• Trip and fall hazards due to uneven surfaces
• Missing “teeth” on damaged comb plates that can pull items into the machinery

Additionally, wet floors at either end of the escalator can cause slip-and-fall accidents at airports when passengers step down or up.

Elevator Failures

Similar to escalators, airport elevator safety failures are quite common. Some elevator accidents that may lead to injury claims at Nevada airports include:

• Cases involving sudden stops
• Failures of elevator emergency protocol in Nevada airports (such as inoperable emergency call systems)
• Misleveling

Additionally, doors can easily malfunction, striking or crushing passengers when the sensors or door components fail to work properly. These incidents can lead to spinal cord injury at airports and, in some unfortunate cases, even death. This is why the law takes Reno-Tahoe International Airport accidents so seriously.

Common Injuries From Airport Escalator and Elevator Accidents

An escalator or elevator accident can be devastating. Here are just a few of the common injuries passengers may sustain when things go wrong.

Physical Injuries

Victims filing Mesquite airport accident claims or suits against other Las Vegas airports have often experienced common injuries, such as:

• Broken bones
• Lacerations
• Sprains
• Chronic back pain
• Spinal cord injuries

Falling from an escalator can also lead to severe head and neck injuries, such as concussions, whiplash, herniated discs, and skull fractures.

Emotional and Financial Damages 

Pedestrian accidents at airports don’t just cause physical harm. When it comes to injuries at Boulder City airport, liability can also cover emotional pain and suffering, such as:

• Specific phobias, such as claustrophobia or agoraphobia
• Intense fear and anxiety
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Severe depression

In many cases, victims are physically unable to work, leading to financial strain. Often, compensation in premises liability claims covers financial and other damages, including lost income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering. However, in the case of public entities, there may be a monetary cap on compensation for airport accident victims.

The Legal Process of an Airport Injury Claim in Nevada

The airport injury lawsuit process in Nevada is quite intricate. 

Proving Negligence and Building Your Case

In any personal injury case, the burden of proving negligence is on the victim. If you want the responsible party held liable, your case must cover several key elements:

• Duty of care: Proving that the defendant had a legal duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for the plaintiff.
• Breach of duty: Proving that the defendant failed to meet the established duty of care.
• Causation: Proving a direct link between the defendant’s breach of duty and the plaintiff’s injuries and losses.
• Damages: Proving that the plaintiff suffered actual harm or loss as a direct result of the defendant’s negligence.

Under Nevada’s modified comparative negligence laws, victims can be held accountable for any role they played in their injury. Your compensation may be reduced by your “percentage of fault.” 

For example, if you are found to be 30% at fault for your injury, your compensation may be reduced by 30%. However, you can still recover damages as long as you are not found to be 51% or more at fault.

Recovering Fair Compensation 

In a personal injury case, there are typically two types of compensation for airport accident victims:

• Economic damages: Tangible financial losses that can be calculated for fair compensation, such as lost wages, medical bills, and property damage.
• Non-economic damages: Subjective and intangible losses that don’t have a fixed dollar amount, such as pain and suffering, or loss of quality of life.

A skilled attorney with deep knowledge of premises liability laws can offer robust airport accident legal resources to help you pursue maximum compensation for your injuries. 

Why Choose Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys? 

Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, is Nevada’s top choice for airport escalator and elevator injuries. Here’s how we can help victims in the aftermath of an accident.

Local Knowledge and Experience

Nevada has unique laws that govern lawsuits against public entities. This is why it’s critical to hire an airport personal injury attorney in Las Vegas with local knowledge and experience. 

We’ve handled cases throughout Clark County, downtown Las Vegas, and North Las Vegas. We’ve successfully brought lawsuits involving government entities and maintenance companies, and understand the strategies needed to pursue positive outcomes.

We Fight for Your Rights

For each personal injury lawsuit, we handle all cases on a contingency fee basis and offer a free consultation to all potential clients. We are committed to providing you with the legal resources for airport injuries you need. 

We also know exactly what it takes to prove negligence and ensure that insurance companies are held responsible for the injury and damage caused. We consider it our legal duty to fight relentlessly for our clients.

Don’t Let an Injury Ruin Your Trip

Becoming a victim of an elevator or escalator injury before or after your flight can be a scary experience. Fortunately, you don’t have to walk the road ahead alone. Our attorneys are skilled at fighting for the injured. 

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