For most gambling enthusiasts, the worst thing to result from a trip to Las Vegas is a five-alarm hangover and an empty wallet. But some hapless visitors may wish those were the only negative consequences they endured. The fact is that there are many pitfalls that can befall tourists here in the hotels and casinos that line the Vegas strip.
Most of those unfortunate incidents typically involve slip-and-falls or trip-and-fall in and around the casinos, or perhaps in the guests’ lodging areas. Disturbances from other tourists who may be drunk or disorderly sometimes escalate into physical altercations that can injure bystanders as well. Still, those types of incidents can happen anywhere people gather and are not considered to be unusual.
Attack from above
But the accident and injuries that happened to one family last summer at the Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino property was not a common occurrence. A couple and the husband’s mother were watching an early fireworks display sponsored by the hotel on June 30. They happened to notice that there was also a drone light show going on simultaneously by the hotel’s pool area. As the couple watched the fireworks light up the sky, the wife was hit in the face by a drone flying over the crowd.
In an interview with KABC, a Los Angeles media outlet, the woman said, “All of a sudden, something just hit me in the face.” After striking the woman in the eye area, the drone then crashed into the woman’s mother-in-law, injuring her on the back and neck.
The couple began videoing the aftermath of the incident, which left the wife dazed and bleeding. The younger woman needed stitches to close her wounds and suffers from permanent damage, including blurred vision in her eye. She continues to receive ongoing care for her injuries from an ophthalmologist.
Multiple defendants named
The couple filed a lawsuit against Caesars Palace, the drone operator, and the Great Lakes Drone Company, the manufacturer of the device. Their complaint alleges, among other things, that defendants were negligent and failed to comply with safety standards and federal rules and regulations.
Defense counsel for the Great Lakes Drone Company offered the following statement regarding the pending litigation, “About all I can say is that the defendants deny the allegations contained in the complaint and we look forward to presenting a vigorous defense to the claims asserted.”
There was no response from Caesar’s Palace to a media outlet’s request for comment.
Shared liability can increase compensation
In the above case, if the multiple defendants accept or are determined to have had liability in the two women’s injuries and damages, the resulting settlement or judgment could be markedly increased. This is one reason why it is typically better to retain an experienced premises liability and personal injury attorney for a claim. Attorneys know to cast a wide net when settling their clients’ claims to ensure that the eventual recovery is substantial enough to address ongoing health and quality of life issues that a lay person may not consider.
