By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

There are countless things to do for people who visit Las Vegas. At the top of the list is gambling, but Vegas has plenty of fun available for the non-gambler as well, including shows, shopping, and spas. One category of attractions has just sprung up in the past couple of decades: roller coasters.

From Stratosphere’s Insanity to the Canyon Blaster at Circus Circus to Buffalo Bill’s Turbo Drop, thrill-seekers can test their limits at well over a dozen roller coasters across Las Vegas. The vast majority of the time, roller coasters like these are safe for their riders. But sometimes, people do get injured.

This fact was emphasized earlier this month when a roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm in California malfunctioned and injured ten people. On the night of October 7, the Pony Express roller coaster failed to make it up the first incline and slid back down, crashing into a stationary roller coaster car. The victims, who ranged in age from 12 to 60, suffered back and neck injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. There’s no word on exactly what caused the crash. 

Believe it or not, thousands of Americans suffer roller coaster injuries each year that are serious enough to require an emergency room visit. Roller coaster operators may argue that riders assume the risk of getting hurt when they purchase a ticket for the ride or to enter the venue. However, these so-called “waivers of liability” are far from foolproof, and injured riders have won personal injury lawsuits in the past. So if you have been injured after riding a roller coaster, seek medical attention and then contact a personal injury attorney for a consultation.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

Horseback riding is a common activity for Nevada residents. With thousands of acres of open land statewide, many people like to mount their steeds and explore the outdoors. But if you choose to engage in this activity, it is imperative that you do so safely.

Recently, horseback riding accidents have received a great deal of attention after Nevada governor Jim Gibbons fell off a horse and broke his pelvis at a ranch in western Nevada on September 21. Three weeks later, Gibbons is finally healthy enough to participate in administrative meetings via telephone, even though the 65-year old remains hospitalized.

Those who have ridden horses for years will tell you that the possibility of a fall always exists no matter how many precautions you take or how skilled a rider you are. And a fall from a horse can result in serious injuries. A high-profile example is actor Christopher Reeve, who was thrown from a horse in 1995 during an equestrian competition and became a quadriplegic.

Here are some tips for avoiding horseback riding falls and reducing their severity:

  • Choose a horse that matches your skill level.
  • Ride in a safe environment and stay in control of your horse at all times.
  • Try to anticipate anything which might spook your horse.
  • Make sure your saddle and stirrups are properly secured.
  • Consider wearing protective equipment like a helmet or crash vest.

If a fall from a horse is imminent:

  • Let go of the reins.
  • Kick your feet out of the stirrups.
  • Don’t stick out your arms to break your fall. This increases the chances of a broken bone.
  • After a fall, quickly assess your body. If you are injured, notify someone immediately. 

If you are injured during a fall from a horse owned by another person or company, or if your horse was spooked by something else, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Contact a personal injury lawyer for a free consultation.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

You have consulted with an attorney and have decided to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. Your lawyer has drawn up the complaint and has filed it with the appropriate court. The defendant has been notified of the lawsuit.

So what happens next? 

After the suit has been filed, both sides will begin preparing for the “discovery” phase of the case. Discovery involves gathering evidence and information about the incident, its participants, and its consequences. So you and your lawyer will have to formulate a “discovery plan.”

There are two basic parts of a discovery plan: an informal investigation and formal discovery.

During an informal investigation (much of which can be done even before the suit is actually filed), you and your lawyer might:

  • conduct informal interviews of witnesses or others involved in the incident
  • take photos of the scene where the incident occurred
  • collect documents related to your medical bills and lost time at work
  • establish whether the defendant is insured and to what extent

Formal discovery encompasses the legal processes leading up to a trial. This is when you and your lawyer would:

  • establish written questions (called interrogatories) that must be answered in writing under oath by the defendant
  • request that the defendant provide certain documents that are pertinent to the case
  • work with the defendant to establish which facts are true and which evidence is genuine
  • conduct a deposition where the defendant must answer specific questions orally and under oath 

If you have any questions about a discovery plan, an informal investigation, or formal discovery, your personal injury lawyer will be able to answer them for you.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

You or a loved one has been hurt in an accident in Las Vegas, Summerlin, Henderson, Green Valley, or another city in Clark County. You feel that someone else is responsible for the incident, but you may not be sure. So you are thinking about seeking the advice of a lawyer and possibly filing a personal injury lawsuit.

How do you determine which attorney is best for you?

Here are a few questions you should ask any attorney whom you may be considering to represent you in this type of litigation.

  • How much experience do you have with personal injury lawsuits? Attorneys will often promote their “years of experience” in practicing law. But you should find out how long they have been working with personal injury cases specifically. Because if a lawyer is well-versed in wills, tax laws, securities law, or sexual discrimination, none of that experience will help win your personal injury case.
  • How much experience do you have in Clark County? It is important that your attorney be familiar with the intricacies and nuances of the Clark County legal process and its judges and lawyers. This familiarity can mean the difference between a large judgment and a small one – or even a favorable verdict and an unfavorable one.
  • How many personal injury lawsuits have you taken to trial? If your attorney is not comfortable with arguing your case in a courtroom, then you may not be able to get all of the compensation you deserve. But if your lawyer is willing to go to trial with your case, you can feel confident that he or she has your best interests at heart. 

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer is one of the most important decisions you can make in your fight to get the compensation you deserve from an accident. So make sure you choose wisely!

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

Cell phones, personal digital assistants, and similar mobile devices have all drastically changed the lives of Las Vegas residents. We can reach more people at different times in faraway places, send and receive ever-increasing amounts of data to help us work more efficiently, and we can socialize with our friends, family members, and acquaintances in a myriad of different ways.

But these devices have the potential to damage personal injury lawsuits.

“How?” you might ask. Well, I tell my clients they should not discuss their pending personal injury lawsuits with anyone. Despite that warning, some people think that one little cell phone call to their best friend or close relative won’t do any harm.

It’s important to remember that any such phone discussions, whether on a cell phone or a landline, can have negative repercussions. If the person you call isn’t as discreet as he or she should be, the subject matter of your conversation can find its way to the wrong set of ears. And that could come back to haunt you if the defense brings it up at trial.

But what’s even worse is texting sensitive information or inappropriate comments about a case to someone else. If that happens and the defense gets wind of it, they may be able to subpoena your phone records and get a copy of the actual text entered as evidence in your court case. It’s amazing how many people don’t know that phone texts can be recorded in a database operated by the wireless carrier. 

So if you are the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit, don’t use your cell phone to have a “private” (voice or text) conversation with someone about your case. Because like ships, civil cases can be sunk by loose lips.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

Car accidents occur all the time on freeways, highways, and sidestreets. It is also not uncommon to hear about vehicles hitting pedestrians walking across roadways, in parking lots, and even on sidewalks. However, you wouldn’t expect to be involved in a motor vehicle accident while sitting in a restaurant.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case in Summerlin this week, when a car smashed through the front window of a pizzeria. According to police, the driver of the vehicle accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake while in front of Eastside Pizza in the 1000 block of South Rampart Boulevard in Summerlin. The incident took place on September 15 at around 5pm.

Newspaper photos show glass strewn across part of the dining area of the restaurant. There is no word on the cost of the damages to the store itself. But it was just pure luck that no diners were sitting at a window table when the car crashed through the glass.

Had there been people hurt inside the pizza parlor as a result of the accident, the driver (who was not identified) would probably be held liable for injuries. In cases like these, the at-fault driverl who caused the accident  would be exposed to providing compensation for damages such as hospital bills, medical tests, ambulance charges, and recuperative therapy costs. A court might even award damages for pain and suffering or mental anguish to the victims as well. 

The chances of being struck by a car while dining are statistically very slim. But if that ever happens to you or our loved ones, contact a personal injury attorney at your earliest convenience.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

So many personal injury lawyers talk about all of their successful settlements and big jury verdicts. But here’s the truth – sometimes a case doesn’t go our way and the client does not get the outcome they were hoping for when they decided to pursue damages through a personal injury lawsuit. is not what you were hoping for? It’s a very difficult situation, but an adverse decision isn’t the end of the fight.

The law provides an avenue for appeal in most civil cases if you or the defendant chooses to exercise that option. But in order for this request to be granted, your attorney must have adequate grounds for appeal. Grounds means that some part of the case or proceedings deserves to be reviewed by a higher court. (Dissatisfaction with a verdict is not adequate grounds for appeal.)

It is important to keep in mind that just because you appeal a verdict, another court may deny that appeal – often without a solid reason. Even if your appeal is successful, the higher court may simply order a new trial instead of rewarding you more money – meaning you’ll have to start the entire legal process over again.

That’s why you may want to consider forgoing an appeal of your trial’s outcome – especially if you received some amount of compensation from the original verdict. Given the amount of time the legal process has taken out of your normal life already, it may be best for you and your family to put the ordeal behind you and go on with your life.

This is where the expertise of your personal injury attorney is especially valuable. If we believe you have a solid chance of getting a better outcome by filing an appeal, the additional time and effort (and legal fees) may be worth it. On the other hand, if an appeal probably won’t change the result, then you should consider accepting the verdict and move on. But even though your attorney can offer you advice on whether or not to appeal, the decision is ultimately yours to make. 

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas

injured, child, hurt, accident, slip, fall, traumatic brain injuryIt can be heart wrenching to discover that your child was hurt while at a child care facility. As a parent, such an accident highlights the lack of control you sometimes have over your child’s well-being. The injury can be as minor as a scraped knee from a slip and fall, or as serious as a traumatic brain injury from a fall.

Occasionally, kids sustain injuries as a result of the negligence of child care workers, the lack of regard for safety precautions, or even the reckless actions of caregivers. It is vital that if this happens to your child, you make every effort to identify those individuals who are responsible and hold them accountable.

child injury awsuit against a facility might be appropriate if:

  • your child is injured by falling off rusting and unsafe playground equipment at a Summerlin daycare facility.
  • an in-home nursery in North Las Vegas fails to monitor your son, who wanders into the street and is struck by a car.
  • your infant daughter has to be rushed to a Green Valley hospital and treated for dehydration because the caregivers at the nursery where she spent the last eight hours did not feed her at all.
  • on a day camp field trip to Lake Mead, your preteen child is injured in the wreck of a van being operated by an improperly licensed driver.

You should also know that even if you sign a permission slip or waiver of liability before leaving your child in the care of a facility, you still probably have grounds to file suit if your child is injured and it was the fault of those who were charged with taking care of him or her. If you have any questions about this matter, a qualified personal injury attorney will be happy to answer them for you.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer

As part of your personal injury lawsuit, you have been told to undergo an independent medical examination. It could take place at a doctor’s office in Henderson, a hospital in Summerlin, or an urgent care facility in Green Valley.

So what should you expect on the day of your exam? Here are some guidelines you should follow:

  • Don’t be nervous. Try to think of the exam like you would any other medical appointment – and not some major academic test that you may fail.
  • Be on time. It’s a good idea to arrive at least 10 or 15 minutes before your scheduled exam time, because if you’re late, it may reflect poorly on your case.
  • Bring your medical records. Take the time to gather all relevant medical documents from your previous doctor’s appointments, including X-rays, MRI images, test results, treatment plans, and any other comments from other physicians.
  • Be informative. Be sure to let the examining physician know everything about your injuries, disabilities, and pain levels; and don’t forget to tell him or her about how the consequences of the accident have affected your overall health and daily life.
  • Be careful about giving “too much information.” You should not speak about certain topics during your exam, such as what you have said to your lawyer, how your case is progressing, why the defendant is to blame for the accident, or how much compensation you expect to receive from your lawsuit.
  • Be honest. Most importantly, DO NOT lie about your injuries, make up symptoms, or exaggerate your pain – or else the doctor may suspect fraud, which could have detrimental implications for your case.

Your personal injury attorney can answer any specific questions you may have about the independent medical examination.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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By Farhan Naqvi, Las Vegas Injury Lawyer

Let’s look at some possible scenarios where people are injured in Nevada.

  • Hector is traveling at 85 miles per hour on a Las Vegas highway when a pickup truck sideswipes him while it was trying to change lanes. Hector sustains a concussion in the crash.
  • Barbara is standing in an area of a Clark County warehouse store which is clearly marked “Customers Keep Out” when some stacked boxes fall on top of her. Barbara suffers a broken arm and leg as a result.
  • David visits an outpatient clinic in Green Valley to get treatment for a severe skin rash, but then suffers a severe reaction to medication which he knew he was allergic to but failed to warn the treating physician about. David slips into toxic shock and winds up in the hospital for four days.

Now, the question: are Hector, Barbara, and David entitled to any damages in a lawsuit?

Though every case is different, the short answer is: quite possibly. This is true even though all three of them appeared to contribute to their accidents in a minor way.

That’s because the state of Nevada operates under what is known as a comparative negligence fault structure. This means that if two or more parties are at fault, a court can determine how much blame can be placed on each of them, and damages are adjusted accordingly.

For example, if Barbara was determined to be 20% at fault for being in a restricted area, then she would only receive 80% (100%-20%) of whatever damages a court decided to award her. So if she sustained $8,000 in medical costs, Barbara would actually receive $6,400 in compensation.

But there’s another aspect of Nevada negligence law that’s very important. The state has adopted what is known as “the 50% rule.” This corollary states that if any party is deemed to be 50% or more responsible for an accident then that party receives no damages. The idea is that a person or group which is mostly to blame for an accident should not be compensated.

If we look at the abovementioned scenarios again, it appears by the information supplied that though Hector, Barbara, and David were partly to blame for their accidents, they could still receive damages because they were not primarily responsible for the accidents.

Again, each case has its own unique set of facts. If you have been injured in an accident, you should consult a qualified personal injury lawyer who can answer specific questions about your unique case.

About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.

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