Your Advocate for Compensation After Accidents Cause Property Damage
If your property in Las Vegas sustained damage because of someone else’s careless, reckless, or intentional actions, you may have the right to pursue a legal action for compensation. You should not have to bear the burden and expense of repairing physical damage to your property, and financial harm resulting from it, on your own.
Edward Bernstein and Associates is an award winning law firm that represents Las Vegas residents and businesses claiming compensation for property damage. Contact our Las Vegas property damage lawyers today for a free consultation about how we can help you.
Las Vegas Property Damage Guide
- Examples of Property Damage Claims
- Potential Compensation
- Protecting Your Rights
- Contact an Experienced Las Vegas Property Damage Lawyer Today
About Us
Ed Bernstein and Associates is the go-to law firm in Las Vegas for people who have been harmed by the wrongful actions of others. For over forty years, our team has fought to secure fair compensation for victims of preventable accidents, incidents, and man-made disasters, and we have an enviable track record of success to show for it.
Property damage claims constitute a critical, and often unappreciated, component of our law practice. We understand that an accident in Las Vegas need not inflict bodily injury to cause major harm to your life and livelihood. Our team brings a wealth of skill, know-how, and financial resources to the task of holding at-fault parties and insurance companies accountable for damage to your property in Las Vegas.
What Are Some Examples of Property Damage Claims?
Our firm can handle claims seeking compensation for wrongful damage to any type of property in Las Vegas—real, personal, or commercial. Our sophisticated team has a wide range of experience that we put to work on our clients’ behalf in even the most complex and high-value property damage cases. Here are some examples of Las Vegas property damage claims we have the ability to pursue.
Motor Vehicle Accident Damage
Las Vegas car accidents routinely cause significant harm even when drivers and passengers escape them unscathed. A car represents many Las Vegans’ single most valuable item of personal property. A truck is a valuable business asset. And vehicles in general are major contributors to our incomes, independence, and mobility.
Damage to your vehicle in an accident can cost thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars to repair. Or you may need to replace it altogether. In the meantime, loss of use of your vehicle can make it difficult to get to work, serve your customers, go to important appointments, and care for your family. It could cost you thousands more to bridge the gap with rentals or third party services until your vehicle is repaired or replaced.
You likely carry auto insurance to cover some of those costs. But it may not be enough to foot the entire bill, and there’s no guarantee your own insurance company will treat you fairly. In fact, insurers often try to manipulate body shop estimates and vehicle values to avoid paying you the full cost of a repair or replacement.
Ed Bernstein and Associates has decades of experience handling car accident cases. We understand the financial impact of a crash and the tactics insurance companies use to shirk their obligation to pay what it takes to get you back on the road. Through skilled negotiation and, if necessary, litigation in Las Vegas courts, we can pursue not just your insurer, but the at-fault parties and their insurers too, to compensate you fully for your Las Vegas motor vehicle accident property damage.
Residential or Commercial Property Damage From Fires and Other Man-Made Disasters
Homes and commercial properties in Las Vegas are valuable—even priceless—assets. Losing them to a disaster with a human cause can inflict massive expense and sustained uncertainty. The tab for fixing fire or water damage, for instance, can easily top $100,000.
Rebuilding costs might run into the millions. If you lost your home, you might have to move into a hotel or rental property, upending your and your family’s life. If it was a business structure that sustained damage, you might have to close or scale back operations, losing months or years of income.
Homeowners insurance and commercial structure coverage may pay some of the direct costs of rebuilding, but that’s no certainty. The price of building materials has skyrocketed in the past few years, and it’s never cheap to find a contractor ready to drop everything and get started on your project. Not to mention that, as above, insurance companies (yours and an at-fault party’s) will reliably give you a hard time about paying the maximum available compensation.
Ed Bernstein and Associates has what it takes to dive in and get you the money you need to rebuild and pay expenses after a disaster like:
- A fire sparked by faulty wiring
- Flooding in a condominium due to an upstairs neighbor’s home plumbing fixes
- Rot or degradation in a home built with substandard materials
- Environmental contamination by a neighboring property owner
- Wildfires, explosions, and other mass disasters triggered by negligent business practices
Our team investigates disasters that damage structures—with the help of forensic experts when necessary—to determine their causes and to identify the parties who bear the blame. We also analyze insurance coverages to pinpoint every potential source of payment for the harm you have suffered from Las Vegas property damage. Contact us today to learn more.
Property Damage Due to Defective Products or Equipment
We use a wide variety of products and equipment in our everyday lives at work, at home, and out-and-about in Las Vegas. And we rightfully expect those goods to perform as expected and not to cause harm to us or our property.
Unfortunately, defective products abound, and they hold the potential to cause chaos and widespread property destruction.
Property damage in Las Vegas may occur due to, for example:
- Toxic building materials that release hazardous environmental contaminants
- Poorly made switches, wires, and other electrical equipment that can spark a fire
- Malfunctioning construction equipment that undermines the integrity of a building’s frame or foundation
- Gas lines made with substandard material that leads or ruptures, causing fires or explosions
These are just a few of a potentially infinite range of defective products that could inflict damage to a commercial or residential property in Las Vegas.
At Edward Bernstein and Associates, we’re not afraid to hold large manufacturers accountable for the harm their defective products cause. And we have the legal and commercial savvy to represent our clients’ interests and to get them results when large corporations try to avoid liability for property damage claims by filing for bankruptcy protection or pinning blame on others.
Potential Compensation for Las Vegas Property Damage
As a general matter, you have the right as the owner of damaged property to seek compensation for your losses from at-fault parties and insurance companies (yours and others’). Obtaining that compensation should be easy, especially from your own insurer, but unfortunately that’s rarely the case. It often takes the skill and know-how of an experienced property damage trial lawyer to secure full payment for your expenses and losses.
Liability for Property Damage
Owners of damaged property in Las Vegas can frequently seek compensation for their losses from two sources: their own insurance coverage, and the at-fault party (and that party’s coverage). Edward Bernstein and Associates has years of experience securing payment from both.
Your Insurance
As we’ve described above, many Las Vegans carry insurance to cover at least some of the cost of repairing or replacing their own damaged property. Auto collision insurance, homeowner’s insurance, and commercial fire, flood, and structure insurance are examples of this coverage.
In theory, you should trust your insurer to pay a property damage claim quickly and without much fuss. But insurance companies make money by holding on to their customers’ premium payments, not paying them out. The larger your property damage loss, the greater the resistance you can often count on receiving from your own insurance company to paying you your policy maximum.
At Ed Bernstein and Associates, we speak the language of insurance coverage. We’ve seen all the tricks and tactics insurers rely on to avoid cutting checks to their policyholders, and we know how to navigate around them.
In any Las Vegas property damage case, we’re prepared to make sure your insurer fulfills its contractual obligation to pay for the repair or replacement of your damaged property, and for any other costs or expenses covered by your policy’s terms.
At-Fault Parties and Their Insurance
Under Nevada law, the party at fault for causing damage to your property, and that party’s liability insurer, will generally also have a legal duty to pay for the harm you suffered. Once again, however, you can never count on those parties compensating your losses willingly. They may try to blame you or someone else for property damage, deny their own misconduct, or question the scale of your losses, for example.
At Ed Bernstein and Associates, we approach every property damage case with an eye toward proving our client’s claims at trial. We collect evidence, interview witnesses, analyze the law, and present persuasive arguments to insurance adjusters, defense lawyers, judges, and juries. Our clients can rest assured that when it comes to proving someone else’s liability, we’re ready to dig into the details and build the strongest possible case.
Types of Compensation You Can Claim
The compensation you can claim from your own insurance company is defined by the terms of your insurance policy. We invite you to connect with us at Edward Bernstein and Associates to begin exploring the scope of that coverage.
As for compensation from at-fault parties and their insurers, Nevada law generally entitles owners of damaged property to claim payment for the full scope of harm they’ve suffered.
Every Las Vegas property damage case we handle at Ed Bernstein and Associates differs in terms of what those harms entail, but we regularly pursue claims demand payment for:
- The cost of repairing or replacing damaged property
- Expenses for temporary replacement property and services
- Inconvenience and disruption
- Loss of income from damaged property
In some cases, our team can also seek an award of punitive or exemplary damages, if the at-fault party engaged in extreme or intentional misconduct when causing your property damage. Contact the team at Edward Bernstein and Associates today to begin exploring the types and amounts of compensation you might claim in your Las Vegas property damage case.
Protecting Your Rights After Las Vegas Property Damage
The actions you take after your Las Vegas property sustains damage in an accident or man-made disaster can affect your rights. Consider following these tips to safeguard your ability to claim full compensation.
Notify Your Insurance Carrier, With Caution
You likely have an obligation to notify your own insurance carrier of the property damage that has occurred. Be sure to do so, but exercise caution when doing so. For now, stick only to the bare bones facts of the property damage. Do not discuss fault, lay blame, or try to estimate the dollar value of your loss. Leave those topics to your attorney to handle with your insurer.
Begin Seeking Estimates
The cost of repairing or replacing your damaged property will figure prominently in any claim you make for compensation. So it’s usually sensible to begin seeking estimates right away from reputable contractors and service providers. It’s ok—and often advisable—to seek more than one estimate. Just be sure any estimate you obtain includes the entire cost of returning your property to its pre-damage condition.
Do Not Agree to a Quick Cash or In-Kind Settlement
An at-fault party or that party’s insurer may offer to make things right with you by paying you a quick cash settlement, or by arranging for repairs or replacement property. Do not agree to these proposals and do not sign anything those parties give you.
Any quick cash payment will inevitably fall short of the amount you need to recoup all of your losses, and accepting anything—even in-kind payments in the form of services or replacement property—could jeopardize your legal rights. Leave it to a skilled Las Vegas personal injury attorney to negotiate any settlement on your behalf instead.
Contact an Experienced Las Vegas Property Damage Lawyer Today
Damage to your property in Las Vegas often means damage to your life and livelihood. An experienced property damage lawyer can take the steps necessary to secure compensation for your losses and get you back on track. Contact Edward Bernstein and Associates today at (702) 840-5103 for a free consultation with a knowledgeable legal professional who can answer your questions and explain your rights.
