The travel industry is reopening and many people are starting to plan their first trip of the year.
Even though we are witnessing the reopening of many cities, it doesn’t mean that other potential hazards no longer exist when traveling. All travelers face certain potential risks when on the road. In this regard, you’re wise to understand some basic facts coupled with steps you need to take if you’re injured in a Las Vegas hotel pool. Here are tips from a top personal injury lawyer in Las Vegas.
Most Frequent Types of Hotel Pool Injuries
At the outset, you need to have a basic understanding of some of the most commonplace and frequently occurring types of injuries guests sustain at Vegas hotels. In the grand scheme of things, a visitor to Vegas is best served by exercising appropriate caution to avoid injury when traveling. A key to preventing an injury in the first instance is understanding where some inherent risks can exist in a hotel or resort setting:
- Drowning,
- Slip and fall accidents,
- Diving accidents,
- Pool drain injuries,
- Electrocution, and
- Cuts, puncture wounds, and abrasions
Bear in mind that certain types of Vegas hotel-related pool injuries can occur without your immediate knowledge. A prime example is a situation in which pool water is contaminated in some manner with a pathogen that can result in you experiencing an infection of some type. In some instances, a pool water-related infection can result in serious medical consequences.
Document Accident, Accident Scene, and Injury
Tending to your immediate medical needs must be the number one priority following sustaining an injury at a Las Vegas hotel pool. With that stressed, if at all possible, your legal interests are well-served if you’re able to take at least some steps to document the accident, the accident scene, and the injury or injuries you sustained. Thanks to the ubiquitous use of mobile devices in this day and age, documenting accident scenes has never been easier.
If possible, following a hotel pool accident, make a video or take pictures of the overall accident scene. Take a video or photos of the precise cause of the accident. For example, if the accident involved a defective or improperly covered pool train, video or take photos of that device. Moreover, video or take photos of any injury or injuries you sustained at a Vegas hotel pool.
As part of your effort to document the accident and accident scene, identify any witnesses to the incident. Obtain names and comprehensive contact information for these individuals. More often than not, people who witness an accident are amenable to providing an injured person, or someone acting on behalf of an injured person, with this information.
If a witness is willing, obtain a concise statement from that individual. You might consider videoing such a statement if a particular witness is comfortable taking that step.
Odds are that if you’re a visitor to Las Vegas you likely are traveling with someone else. If you are not in a position to document matters related to the hotel pool accident yourself, ask your traveling companion or companions to do this task for you.
Notify Hotel Management Immediately
Directly after a Las Vegas hotel pool accident, your injuries and the incident itself must be reported to hotel management. Promptly making a report to management in this manner may be a requirement of the insurance claim process.
Despite the phrase being a cliché, accidents happen. As a consequence, Vegas hotels have a process in place to receive accident reports, including those associated with pool and poolside incidents that result in injury to a patron.
Obtain Hotel Insurer and Claim Filing Information
As part of making an incident report to hotel management, you need to obtain (and should be provided by the hotel) essential information about the hotel’s liability insurance company. This should include information about making an initial claim to that insurer to begin the process of obtaining appropriate compensation for your injury if the hotel is deemed at fault.
Do Not Answer Questions Presented by Insurance Company Until You Consult with Injury Lawyers in Las Vegas
While there are some steps you need to take in the aftermath of a hotel pool accident, there is one important action you must not do. Odds are a representative of the hotel’s insurance carrier, or of the hotel company itself if it is a self-insured enterprise, will contact you about the accident and your injuries. You should not engage in conversation with a representation of an insurance company of the hotel corporation following an accident until you consult with a Las Vegas injury attorney.
If a representative of an insurance company or the hotel reaches out to you following an accident, politely and yet directly advise that individual you are seeking or have retained legal counsel. Let the representative know that you will not be answering any questions but that your lawyer will be in contact.
Seek Professional Assistance from Injury Lawyers of Nevada
Following a Las Vegas hotel pool accident, you are wise to promptly schedule an initial consultation with a qualified, experienced Las Vegas law firm that focuses on providing representation in personal injury cases. The legal team at The Schnitzer Law Firm is available to discuss your case at any time convenient for you. You can schedule a no-cost, no-obligation initial consultation and case evaluation with The Schnitzer Law Firm by calling (702) 960-4050 or by reaching out to us via our website at www.theschnitzerlawfirm.com.