If you slipped, tripped, or fell at work in Las Vegas and are now in pain, the first few decisions you make can have a huge impact on your health and on any insurance claim you may file. You might be trying to decide whether to finish your shift, go home, or head to the ER. You may already be worried about missing work or getting blamed for what happened.
In this situation, people often get pulled in different directions. A supervisor might tell you to just “take it easy,” coworkers may urge you to file an incident report, and family members might tell you to see a doctor right away. You are stuck in the middle, trying to figure out what actually protects you if your injuries turn out to be serious. That confusion is completely normal, and it is exactly what this guide is meant to address.
At Cohan PLLC, we regularly help people who were hurt in workplace falls at Las Vegas casinos, hotels, warehouses, construction sites, restaurants, and offices. We can walk you through practical steps that protect your health and your rights under Nevada workers’ compensation and any potential third-party claim.
Prioritize Your Safety & Medical Care After a Las Vegas Workplace Fall
Your first priority after a workplace fall in Las Vegas is safety. If you can, move out of any immediate danger. Ask a coworker or supervisor for help and do not try to lift heavy objects or “shake it off” just to prove you are fine. If your head, neck, or back was injured, or if you cannot move a limb, ask someone to call 911 and stay as still as you safely can until medical professionals arrive.
Even if you feel like you can walk it off, getting prompt medical care is critical. Many serious injuries from falls, such as concussions, spinal injuries, and torn ligaments, do not fully show themselves in the first few hours. If you wait days to see a doctor, insurers may later argue that your injuries came from something else. Go to an emergency room, urgent care, or occupational health clinic as soon as you can, and follow the discharge instructions you are given so there is a clear record of your condition.
When you see any medical provider, make sure you clearly explain that your injuries came from a workplace fall. Give specific details about how you fell, such as “I slipped on a wet floor near the buffet,” or “I fell from a ladder in the stockroom.” Medical records often become the backbone of both workers’ comp claims and any third-party lawsuits. If those records clearly link your injuries to a specific workplace incident, it is much harder for an employer or insurer to deny that connection later.
After that first visit, follow your doctors’ advice. Go to recommended follow-up appointments, physical therapy, or specialist visits. If you skip visits or ignore work restrictions, an insurer may argue that you are not really hurt or that you made your condition worse.
Document the Scene Before It Changes
In Las Vegas workplaces, conditions change fast. Housekeeping staff clean spills, maintenance teams fix hazards, and contractors move equipment. By the end of your shift, the poorly maintained scaffolding you fell from, the puddle you slipped on, or the loose piece of carpeting you tripped over may be long gone. Documenting the scene of your fall as soon as you are safely able to can become one of the most important parts of your case.
If you can do it, or if a trusted coworker can help, use your phone to take photos or video of the area where you fell. Capture the exact spot, any liquid or debris on the floor, the lighting, nearby warning signs or lack of them, broken railing, etc. Take wide shots that show the area in context and close-ups of the specific hazard, such as a leak from an ice machine, an uneven step, or cords across a walkway. These images can later show that conditions were unsafe, even if everything is cleaned up within minutes.
Witnesses also matter. Get names and contact information for anyone who saw your fall or who can describe the conditions shortly before you were hurt. That could be coworkers, other hotel or casino staff, vendors, or guests. Ask them to write down or text you what they saw while it is still fresh in their minds.
Surveillance cameras are common in casinos, hotels, parking garages, and many industrial facilities in Las Vegas. If you see any cameras near the area where you fell, make a note of their location and angle. Video systems often overwrite footage after a certain number of days, sometimes very quickly. When we investigate a workplace fall, one of the first things we can do is request footage from the employer or property owner, and early notice can be the difference between having clear video and having nothing to show of how the fall really happened.
All of this documentation, from photos and witness statements to camera footage, becomes evidence that backs up your word when an employer or insurance company later reviews the claim. The more you can capture before the scene changes, the stronger your position can be.
Report Your Las Vegas Workplace Fall the Right Way
After your immediate medical needs are addressed and the hazard is documented, the next crucial step is reporting the fall to your employer correctly. Telling a supervisor in passing that you slipped is not enough. In Nevada, workers’ compensation depends heavily on timely, clear reporting. If there is no written record that you were hurt on the job, insurers have an easy excuse to question your claim.
Most Las Vegas employers, especially casinos, hotels, and larger companies, have incident forms or specific procedures for reporting injuries. You may be asked to fill out a written report for your supervisor, security, or human resources, or to speak with a risk management department. When you complete any form, be accurate and specific about where, when, and how you fell. Before you turn in any paperwork, take a photo or ask for a copy so you have your own record of what you reported.
Nevada law sets deadlines for reporting workplace injuries, and while the exact rules can be complex, the general rule is simple. Report the injury as soon as you reasonably can. Waiting days or weeks makes it much easier for an insurer to argue that your injuries came from something outside of work or that the fall was minor.
An internal incident report is not the same thing as a full workers’ compensation claim, and the paperwork for formal workers’ comp can be confusing. We frequently help clients in Las Vegas review their reports, clarify what actually happened, and respond when insurers latch onto minor errors. The key is to not stay silent. The sooner there is a clear, written record tying your injury to your workplace fall, the better your chances are of accessing the benefits you may be entitled to.
How Nevada Workers’ Comp & Third-Party Claims Interact
Many injured workers believe they have only one path after a fall, which is filing a workers’ comp claim and accepting whatever benefits they are given. In Nevada, workers’ compensation is usually the main system that pays for medical care and a portion of lost wages after a workplace injury. It does not require you to prove that your employer did something wrong. If you were hurt on the job, you may be eligible for benefits even if no one was clearly at fault.
At the same time, workers’ compensation typically limits what you can recover. It does not pay for pain and suffering, and in most cases, you cannot sue your own employer for negligence. What many people do not realize is that, depending on the situation, you may also have a separate personal injury claim against someone other than your employer. This is called a third-party claim, and it can allow you to seek damages that workers’ comp does not cover.
Third-party claims are common in Las Vegas because so many workplaces involve multiple players. For example, a casino worker might fall in an area where a contractor was doing renovations, and that contractor may have created or failed to fix a hazard. A warehouse worker might fall from a defective ladder that was manufactured or maintained by an outside company. A hotel housekeeper might slip in a back hallway where a vendor routinely leaves leaking carts or equipment. In all of these situations, the injured worker can have a workers’ comp claim and a separate case against the party that controlled the hazard.
Common Mistakes After a Las Vegas Workplace Fall That Can Hurt Your Claim
Too often, workers thought they were doing the right thing by staying quiet, being loyal to their employer, or avoiding “making trouble,” only to find out later that the insurance company is using those same actions against them.
Knowing these common mistakes can help you avoid them, or at least understand what to do next if some have already happened:
- Failing to report the injury right away or at all: Many people feel embarrassed or assume the pain will go away. Others are warned, directly or indirectly, that reporting an injury could hurt their job prospects. If you wait too long, insurers may argue that your fall did not happen at work or that it was not serious. That does not mean you have no options if you reported late, but it does mean your case will need more careful handling.
- Downplaying symptoms and/or declining initial medical care: It is natural to say you are “fine” in front of coworkers or supervisors, especially in a fast-paced environment like a hotel or casino. But when you tell a security officer or manager that you are not hurt and then go to the ER later that night in serious pain, they may use your earlier statements against you. The safer approach is to be honest about your pain and limitations from the start, even if you hope it will improve quickly.
- Giving recorded statements to insurance adjusters or signing forms you do not fully understand: You might be told the paperwork is “just routine” or that a quick statement will help things move faster. In reality, some of these forms can limit your rights, and recorded statements can be used later to challenge your memory or suggest inconsistencies. It is perfectly reasonable to say that you want to review any documents first or speak with an attorney before giving a detailed statement.
- Blaming yourself completely: You might think, “I should have watched where I was going” or “I knew that step was bad.” While personal responsibility matters, it is rarely the whole story. Employers, property owners, contractors, and vendors all have duties to keep workplaces reasonably safe. In Nevada, even if you share some fault, you may still have a valid claim, especially if someone else created or ignored a hazardous condition.
How Our We Can Strengthen Your Las Vegas Workplace Fall Claim
After a serious workplace fall, many people are unsure what a law firm can realistically do beyond filing forms. In a city like Las Vegas, where major employers and insurers have significant resources, having a trial-ready injury firm on your side can change how your case is investigated and valued. Our goal is to shift the balance of power so you are not navigating complex systems alone.
From the beginning, we focus on evidence. Our work injury lawyers:
- Move quickly to request surveillance footage from casinos, hotels, warehouses, or construction sites before it is overwritten.
- Track down witnesses and get detailed statements about what they saw, including any prior spills, leaks, or hazards.
- Look for maintenance, cleaning, and safety logs that may show a pattern of similar problems or that staff knew about the danger but failed to fix it.
These records can be especially important in premises cases involving slick floors, poor lighting, or defects in walkways and stairs.
We also examine which companies were involved in the area where you fell. In many Las Vegas workplaces, the employer, property owner, contractors, and vendors overlap. Our team looks at contracts, work orders, and policies to identify who actually controlled the spot where you were hurt. For example, spill cleanup schedules in a hotel, floor maintenance contracts in a casino, or equipment inspection records in a warehouse can reveal that someone other than your direct employer held key responsibilities.
Because we build cases as though they will go before a jury, we prepare from day one to explain your story clearly and persuasively. That trial-focused approach influences every step, including how we organize medical records, document your lost wages, and show how the fall has changed your day-to-day life. Even when a case settles outside of court, insurers tend to take negotiations more seriously when they know the other side is fully prepared to argue the case in court if needed.
When to Call a Las Vegas Attorney About Your Workplace Fall
Every workplace fall in Las Vegas can benefit from early legal guidance. You should strongly consider reaching out to an attorney if your injuries are more than minor, if you need surgery or long-term treatment, if your employer or insurer is disputing what happened, or if you are being pressured not to report the injury or not to file workers’ comp. Any time you feel confused about paperwork or worried about saying the wrong thing, a conversation with a lawyer can help.
A free, no-obligation consultation gives you a chance to walk through what happened, review any reports or documents you have already signed, and understand how workers’ comp and any potential third-party claims might apply to you. There is no upfront cost, and because we work on a contingency fee basis, you only owe attorney’s fees if we are able to recover compensation for you. Even if you are not sure you want to move forward with a claim, getting answers early on can help you avoid mistakes that are hard to fix later. The sooner you understand your options, the more control you have over what happens next.
Talk with a Las Vegas Trial Firm About Your Workplace Fall
A workplace fall in Las Vegas can turn your life upside down in a matter of seconds. Medical bills, missed paychecks, and pressure from your employer or the insurance company can make it feel like you are fighting this alone. You are not. With the right steps, and with a legal team that understands how Nevada workers’ comp and third-party claims work together, you can protect your health, your job, and your future. As a client-focused firm, we stay closely involved with the people we represent, answer questions directly, and keep you updated as your case moves forward.
If you have questions about what happened, are unsure whether you reported things correctly, or simply want to know what your options are, we invite you to reach out to Cohan PLLC for a free, personalized case review. As a Las Vegas-rooted, trial-ready injury firm, we treat your situation with the seriousness it deserves and stand with you every step of the way, at no upfront cost to you.
Call (702) 623-3579 today to talk about your Las Vegas workplace fall in a free consultation. Our team is available to speak with you in English or Spanish.