Nevada lawyers have claimed that some drivers are being denied compensation for car accident injuries in Las Vegas due to Metro´s new policy of not attending “no-injury” collisions.
On the 3rd of March, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Metro) announced that it was no longer going to attend car accidents in which there was no obvious injury. Metro also announced that it would no longer accept crash reports, which instead should be reported to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles for record-keeping purposes.
The new policy has not only caused confusion among drivers who have only sustained property damage, but has – according to some Nevada lawyers – also resulted in drivers being denied compensation for car accident injuries in Las Vegas when the injuries do not become apparent for hours or days after an accident has occurred.
The issues with the new policy are that – formerly – a Metro officer´s opinion of who was to blame for an accident would be sufficient for an insurance company to settle claims for compensation for car accident injuries in Las Vegas. Without that independent and experienced opinion, a number of motorists (it is claimed) have abandoned their personal injury claims due to a perceived lack of evidence.
Similarly, when claims go to court, although a Metro officer´s opinion was not admissible as evidence, he or she would have been able to testify as to statements made by the plaintiff and defendant and his or her observations. Without this unbiased presence, Nevada lawyers claim that it is becoming more difficult for drivers to claim compensation for car accident injuries in Las Vegas.
The lawyers advise that drivers injured in car accidents in Las Vegas should follow similar procedures to what the Metro would have done prior to the implementation of this new policy:
- Take photographs of the roadway and the number plates of the other vehicles involved in the accident
- Personally record the vehicle´s registration (don´t rely on somebody else to do this), driver´s license and insurance card
- Take a note of the contact information for any witnesses who saw the accident, even if you believe you have sustained no injuries
Thereafter, complete a traffic accident form and submit it to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. As soon as you suspect that you have been injured in the accident, seek professional medical attention and then contact a lawyer to discuss your entitlement to compensation for car accident injuries in Las Vegas.