Being suddenly injured at a business or any commercial property in Reno, or anywhere in Nevada, is a frightening experience. One minute you are a customer, and the next you are dealing with a fall, a severe cut, or a head injury due to someone else’s negligence. Suddenly, you’re not just hurt, but you’re facing painful questions: How will I pay for this medical treatment? What if I miss too much work? Can I sue a store if I got hurt?
You are not alone. Injuries on commercial property, often called personal injury at a store, premise liability claim, or business injury claim, are common. In Nevada, these incidents fall under a critical area of law called premises liability law.
This guide is designed to cut through the confusion. We will walk you through what to do if you are injured at a business, explain your rights, show you common mistakes to avoid, and clarify what kind of compensation you can pursue. By taking the right steps immediately, you can protect your right to a full recovery.
Immediate Steps to Take After an Injury at a Business
When you’re injured at a business, the moments after an accident can feel overwhelming, but what you do right away can make a lasting difference. These steps are about protecting your health, preserving evidence, and giving yourself the strongest possible foundation if you decide to pursue a claim.
1. Seek Medical Care
- Documentation: Seeing a doctor immediately creates an official record that ties your injury to the accident scene.
- Hidden Injuries: A medical professional can diagnose injuries you may not notice at first.
2. Report the Incident
You must report your injury to the business management as soon as possible. Do not just tell an employee. Ask to speak to a manager or owner.
- Incident Report: Insist that the business complete an official incident report and ask for a copy. If they refuse to give you a copy, make a note of the date and time you requested it and who you spoke to.
3. Document Everything
Evidence can disappear quickly. If you are able, use your phone to document the scene.
- Photos/Videos: Take pictures of the specific hazard that caused your injury (e.g., the spill, broken shelf, poor lighting). Also, take photos of your visible injuries.
- Witness Information: Get the names and contact information of anyone who saw the incident.
- Journal: Start a daily journal noting your pain levels, missed work, and inability to perform daily tasks.
4. Preserve Evidence
Do not discard anything related to the incident.
- Clothing and Shoes: Place the shoes and clothing you were wearing in a plastic bag and set them aside. They may contain important evidence about the conditions at the scene.
- Receipts: Keep all receipts, including those for medical care, prescriptions, and any out-of-pocket expenses.
What NOT to Do After a Business Injury
When you’re injured at a business, it’s natural to want to downplay your situation or move on quickly. Unfortunately, certain actions can harm your health and weaken your legal position. Being mindful of these common mistakes can help you protect yourself and your potential claim.
- Don’t admit fault: Even a simple, “I’m sorry, I should have been watching,” can be used to reduce or eliminate your compensation under Nevada’s comparative negligence rules. Stay neutral.
- Don’t delay or skip medical care: This suggests your injury is not serious, which hurts your claim.
- Don’t talk to insurance adjusters without legal advice: The adjuster’s job is to protect the insurance company’s bottom line, not yours. They may try to trick you into a lowball settlement offer or a damaging recorded statement.
- Don’t post about the incident on social media: Anything you post—even simple updates or photos—can be twisted and used against you to suggest you are less injured than you claim.
Understanding Premises Liability Law
If you were injured at a business, you might be asking yourself, “what are my rights?”
Your rights are governed by premises liability law, which dictates that business owners and property owners have a responsibility for injury.
- Duty of Care: Business owners must maintain a reasonably safe environment for customers and visitors. This means conducting regular inspections and correcting or warning about dangerous conditions.
- Breach of Duty: This occurs when a business or property owner knows or should have known about an unsafe condition but failed to fix it or put up a warning. This is what is called store negligence.
- Causation: There must be a direct link between the unsafe condition (the store negligence) and your resulting injury.
- Damages: These are the measurable harms you suffered (medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering).
Who’s Responsible for Injuries on Business Property?
After an accident, one of the biggest questions is “who is at fault?” Liability is not always straightforward, and in many cases, more than one party may be held responsible for a commercial property injury.
- Business Tenant Responsibility: The store or business leasing the space is usually responsible for day-to-day safety, such as unattended spills, cluttered aisles, or poor lighting.
- Property Owner/Landlord Responsibility: The owner of the building or shopping center is often responsible for structural issues or maintenance in common areas like parking lots, sidewalks, and stairwells.
- Third-Party Vendors: A separate company, like a cleaning crew, maintenance contractor, or delivery service, may be responsible if their actions created the hazard (e.g., a wet floor from a cleaning crew that didn’t post a warning sign).
Preserving Surveillance Footage
Surveillance footage can be a critical piece of evidence after a commercial accident. Video often provides an unbiased account of what happened, making it one of the most valuable tools for proving liability.
- Quick Deletion: Businesses typically only keep footage for a short time (often 7 to 30 days) before it is recorded over.
- Urgent Action: If you have been hurt, you must act quickly to request this footage. An attorney can send a formal legal letter called a spoliation letter to the business, legally compelling them to preserve the video. If the footage is intentionally deleted after this notice, the business may face serious legal penalties.
What Compensation Can You Receive?
An accident at a business can leave you facing medical bills, missed work, and long-term recovery challenges. If your injury was caused by negligence, you may be entitled to pursue compensation (called “Damages”) for the harm you have suffered.
- Medical Expenses: Current bills and estimated costs for all future treatment, surgeries, and prescriptions.
- Lost Wages: Income you lost from missing work, as well as reduced earning potential if your injury prevents you from returning to your job.
- Pain and Suffering: Compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by the injury.
- Rehabilitation: Costs for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and long-term care.
When to Call an Attorney
The process of filing a claim against a large business and its insurance carrier is complicated. If you’re wondering if you can sue because you were injured at a business, the answer is maybe, but you need professional guidance.
- The Stakes are High: If your injuries are severe, resulting in high medical bills or significant time away from work, you need professional protection.
- Business Denies Liability: If the business or its insurance carrier immediately denies your claim or blames you for the accident, you need a strong advocate.
- Insurance Tactics: If the adjuster is delaying the process, pressuring you to accept a lowball settlement, or asking for a recorded statement, this is a clear sign to get legal help.
Your Advocate in Reno and Nevada
In Reno and the surrounding areas of Nevada, you have a limited time to file a personal injury claim. Acting quickly is crucial to preserving evidence and meeting all legal deadlines.
Our team, which includes a State Bar of Nevada-certified Personal Injury Specialist, is experienced in premises liability law. We understand how insurance companies operate—because our team members have spent years defending them. We now use that insider knowledge to fight aggressively for you. You deserve to focus on healing while we handle the complex investigation, evidence preservation, and aggressive negotiation needed to secure your financial future.
We are dedicated to proving the business owner’s responsibility for injury and securing the maximum compensation you deserve.
There is NO FEE unless WE WIN!
Call us for a FREE consultation. Let us help you understand your options and protect your rights.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for general information purposes only. The information you obtain at this website is not, nor is it intended to be, legal or medical advice. You should consult an attorney or doctor for advice regarding your own individual situation. Use of this website or submission of an online form does not create an attorney-client relationship.