According to the American Immigration Council, Nevada was home to 529,164 immigrants in 2013, and in 2012, about 210,000 immigrants in Nevada were undocumented. If you are an immigrant in Nevada – with or without documentation – and you are injured in this state because of another person’s negligence, you have the same right to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for your damages as any other person. In the Las Vegas area, if you sustain an injury due to another person’s negligence, speak at once with an experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyer.
Regardless of your immigration status, if you are injured because someone else was negligent, you must be completely truthful and candid with your lawyer. If you can prove – with your attorney’s help – that you were injured due to negligence, you are entitled by law to compensation for your medical treatment, days lost from work, and all of your additional injury-related expenses. Your attorney can gather the evidence, question the witnesses, and fight on your behalf for the compensation you need. Your role is to take the first step and make the call as soon as possible after you are injured by another person’s negligence.
The United States Constitution guarantees due process and equal protection under the law to “all persons,” and that means all persons: U.S. citizens, immigrants with visas and green cards, and also those without documentation. Thus, anyone injured by the negligence of someone else – in a traffic collision, while shopping, or in any other setting – has the right to file a personal injury lawsuit and to seek reimbursement without regard to immigration status. This doesn’t mean that your immigration status isn’t important; it is. But if you’ve been injured by negligence, that’s just as important.
To get a better understanding of the process, it’s important that you know the basic terms involved with personal injury lawsuits. A “lawsuit” is a “civil” action. In a criminal action, the government (called “the state” or “the people”) brings a charge against someone, but in a civil action, one person brings a charge against another person. In civil actions a “person” may be an individual, a private business, or even a government agency. Thus, two persons (or “parties”) are involved in a lawsuit. The “plaintiff” is the alleged victim, the person who is bringing the charge. When you’re a plaintiff in a civil case, you are demanding justice for a loss that you claim is the result of the defendant’s actions. The “defendant” is the person accused of causing the plaintiff’s injury or harm.
Civil actions may be decided by a judge or considered by a jury. When you file a lawsuit, you risk having the court rule against you. However, if you have a good case, well-argued by a good personal injury lawyer, and the defendant really does owe you something, then the judge or jury is probably going to rule in your favor. A good personal injury attorney can help you avoid the pitfalls and offer valuable insights while your case is pending.
After any negligence-related injury in the Las Vegas area, seek medical attention immediately, and then call an experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible.
