If you have suffered a slip and fall or some other mishap in any New Jersey casino and incurred pain and losses, you may be entitled to compensation under certain circumstances. You should keep yourself informed of compensation for casino negligence cases in New Jersey.
A casino negligence lawsuit filed with the help of a casino injury attorney may help you to win your case.
There is, no doubt, that a casino can help you to enjoy the thrill and excitement of betting while playing your favorite games. However, it is also a fact that many customers get injured in casinos. If your injury was through casino negligence in New Jersey, then you deserve damages and compensation under the law. By understanding the responsibility and liability of the casino, you can launch a strong insurance claim as well.
Since casinos are commercial establishments, they have an obligation to take appropriate measures in order to keep their customers safe. This entails, for instance, keeping the property clean and equipment in good working condition. There are several ways that injuries can transpire in casinos. This happens mainly through negligence and oversight in the following ways:
Food Poisoning
Besides enjoying your favorite games, you can also reward yourself with good food at casinos after playing. However, there is the possibility of getting food poisoning in various ways like the use of expired ingredients and failing to maintain sanitary conditions for which the casino is responsible.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are the most serious issue at casinos. A vast amount of casino negligence claims center around slip and fall accidents. Casinos have several areas like parking lots, swimming pools, hotel rooms, playing areas and restaurants where slip and fall accidents are possible.
Broken Furniture
Falling from furniture that suddenly breaks down is more than just embarrassing. It can lead to serious injuries to the spine and hips, including fractures that can be excruciating and costly to treat. A big casino normally has hundreds of slot machines with separate chairs. Thousands of customers may sit on these chairs due to which there is a risk of the chairs falling apart.
Shuttle Buses
Big casinos and resorts have shuttle buses that transport customers to and from their hotels. Drive negligence can lead to accidents and injuries. Slippery steps and obstructed aisles can also cause injuries.
Burns
Casinos that have hotel rooms may have faulty appliances that can cause burn injuries. Severe burn injuries can deteriorate into permanent scars and infections and long treatment may be required for this. This is, in addition, to the agonizing pain.
Crime
Since casino goers have plenty of cash and jewelry, they may be the target of robberies, mugging and theft. It is the duty of the casino to establish strong security within its premises to stop such crimes from happening. Besides losing valuables, there is also the risk of life-threatening injuries.
Instances of Casino Negligence for which you may be eligible for compensation
Under the instances shown below, you may have a rightful compensation claim if you suffer an injury as a consequence. However, you will need the advice of a casino injury attorney to understand the prospects of winning the lawsuit under the unique circumstances that you encountered. In general, casinos are guilty of negligence if an accident takes place due to the following factors.
- Hiring unqualified persons like bartenders, security guards and kitchen staff
- Slippery floors due to spills and leakages
- Failure to keep walkways and passages free of dirt and debris
- Serving too much alcohol
- Failure to maintain parking lots and buildings in good condition
- Not enough security
- Dim lighting
- Badly maintained escalators, stairs and elevators
- Equipment or furniture in bad condition
Casino Negligence Beyond Its Own Premises
Even if you never set foot in a casino, you may still have a claim for suffering an injury that the casino is responsible for. For example, if you get injured from a driver intoxicated at the casino, the casino may be liable for your injuries and paying you damages. Dram shop is a rather archaic term that refers to various establishments serving alcohol like taverns and bars. This term is still a part of the legal parlance. Dram shop laws exist that hold these alcohol-serving establishments responsible for accidents and injuries arising from inebriation due to their services. Thus, under dram shop laws, you have the right to claim compensation from the casino that served alcohol to the drunken driver who injured you. The casino may be liable if its employees serve alcohol to a customer who shows signs of inebriation and is later involved in an accident.
Description: Casino betting area
Casino Employee Rights
If you are employed at a New Jersey casino, then you should know that the state of New Jersey affords you several rights that your employer is bound to honor. If your employer fails to fulfill these requirements, then you may be entitled to a casino negligence compensation.
Can You Sue New Jersey Casinos for Gambling Addiction?
Currently, US courts in New Jersey and other states do not hold casinos responsible for losses and suffering arising out of gambling addiction. In the eyes of the court, it is up to you to curb the gambling habit and control losses arising thereof. If faced with a compensation lawsuit for gambling addiction, casino owners can argue that the addicted gambler was well aware that losses can result from his gambling habit and that no one forced them to play away their money.
However, there still might be circumstances under which you can hold the casino liable for the losses that you incurred from gambling. If you suffered serious losses due to intoxication and the casino employees served you alcohol while you were visibly inebriated, then the casino may have to compensate you not just for the losses that you suffered but also for any injuries arising out of intoxication. The casino must take care not to serve too much alcohol to its guests. Employees are not allowed to serve alcohol to guests who are visibly intoxicated.
Under New Jersey law, casinos and hotels are prohibited from negligently serving alcohol to their customers. The casino must pay for damages that occur due to breach of this law. If you have been diligently discharging your responsibilities but the casino still fires you, then you have legal grounds for filing a lawsuit. It is possible for hard working and honest employees to get fired from casinos. There have been several known instances where honest employees were terminated simply because they chose to report on the wrongdoings committed by the casino that employed them.
Casino Negligence and Injury Liability
Just like other commercial establishments built for leisure and recreation, casinos invite people onto their premises for availing their services. Thus, casinos have a duty to take reasonable care for their customers under the premises liability laws of New Jersey.
Under these laws, casinos are required by the New Jersey court to take all reasonable steps that will ensure the safety of their customers. New Jersey casinos have a duty to safeguard their customers from foreseeable accidents that can be averted with due diligence and care. For instance, everyone knows that liquid spills on the floor can lead to an accident and cause serious injuries. Thus, casinos are obliged to foresee such events and take the necessary action that will prevent them from happening.
Keep in mind that casinos are not responsible for each and every accident that takes place on its premises. Hence, despite taking all possible and reasonable precautions, if there is still an accident then the casino may not be liable for it. The casino is liable for those accidents that it could reasonably anticipate and avert.
Here is an example: Jim and his friends went out gambling during the weekend at a New Jersey casino. While Jim was trying to sit on the chair of one slot machine, it broke down. Jim fell and injured his back. The casino has an obligation to inspect the seats regularly and repair them if damage is found. If the casino was not inspecting and maintaining the chairs regularly, then it will have to compensate Jim for his injuries.
In the example case mentioned above, the casino is said to be guilty of negligence. It had an obligation to care for its customers under the premises liability laws and it breached its duty. The casino will have to pay damages for any accidents and injuries arising out of its neglect of duty.
Depending on your circumstances, you could receive compensation for various aspects of your injury like lost wages, medical bills, cost of prescription drugs, hospital visits, therapy bills and mental anguish.
What You Should Do Following an Injury in a New Jersey Casino
If you are injured at a New Jersey casino, then you must seek immediate medical attention by informing the manager or any casino employee present in the place you were injured. If there is no casino employee closeby, then you should seek medical help on your own. Medical intervention will establish the extent of your injuries that will be easy to prove in court, besides providing timely treatment.
Document your injuries as far as possible so that you have proof in court about the circumstances that lead to the injury. Record evidence using your cellphone and try to gather witnesses who can testify on your behalf.
How to Get Compensation for Negligence from New Jersey Casinos
Filing a casino negligence compensation claim bears some similarities with insurance claims. To win your lawsuit, you will have to prove that the casino was guilty of breaching its duty to care for you through its own negligence, which led to your injuries and subsequent losses.
You will have to prove the following to maximize your chances of winning the lawsuit.
- The casino had an obligation to care for you so that you are protected from injury.
- Casino employees were aware or should have known about the precarious circumstances that lead to your injury.
- The casino was guilty of negligence since it did not adequately address these perilous circumstances.
- This negligence was a direct cause of your injuries.
- You have suffered damages and losses for which you have proof.
As you can clearly understand from the casino negligence lawsuit requirements shown above, there is plenty you need to prove if you want to have a strong chance of winning your compensation. You will need the services of a casino injury attorney in New Jersey who can staunchly stand up for you and prove you right.
Don’t take the response of casinos lightly. Modern casinos are multi-billion dollar empires that are more than capable of hiring the best lawyers who can cleverly deflect their culpability. It is not possible for the layperson to foresee the loopholes and shenanigans that sneaky lawyers resort to for protecting their defendants from blame. Thus, you will need the services of a proficient casino negligence attorney with a proven track record against casinos so that you can successfully foist all such schemes.
Besides a panel of top lawyers, casinos also avail the services of insurance companies that try their level best to avoid paying compensation even when it is due. If you lodge an insurance claim, you will likely meet strong resistance from the insurance company as it tries its level best to escape responsibility even if the casino is guilty. In short, you will run into plenty of impediments whether you file a lawsuit or an insurance claim. A casino negligence attorney can inform you of which of the two options (lawsuit or insurance claim) is the best to maximize your chances of getting compensation.
Have you suffered an injury or accident at a New Jersey casino? Don’t gamble with your luck. Call a top New Jersey casino negligence attorney right away.