More than 42 million tourists visit Las Vegas each year, and a significant number leave with personal injuries. When a trip to the strip leads to souvenirs that bleed, break, burn, or hurt, tourists should pursue immediate treatment to help reduce the potential for long-term harm and create a local record of the extent of the injuries.
Local Healthcare Options
Numerous healthcare facilities in Las Vegas provide emergency healthcare services to injured tourists. These facilities include, but are not limited to:
Dignity Health – 4980 W Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Phone: (702) 216-7365
Elite Medical Center – 150 E Harmon Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: (702) 546-0911
Mountainview Hospital – 3100 N Tenaya Way, Las Vegas, NV 89128
Phone: (702) 962-5000
Southern Hills & Hospital Medical Center – 9300 W Sunset Road, Las Vegas, NV 89148
Phone: (702) 916-5000
Necessary medical expenses can generally be recovered through a personal injury lawsuit or out-of-court settlement. In the meantime, injured victims can cover medical expenses with private health insurance, Med Pay policies, and federal benefits plans. In some cases, medical providers will provide care in exchange for medical liens.
Identifying Hidden Injuries
Some injuries may present themselves immediately, while others may take weeks to develop noticeable symptoms. For instance, whiplash from a motor vehicle accident can manifest itself within days to weeks.
Moreover, adrenaline and other factors can mask the extent of some injuries in the hours following a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall, etc. Individuals may not know they are injured because their body is protecting them from the shock of the injury. This can cause accident victims to forego getting medical care which can prolong recovery and complicate treatment options.
Documenting Injuries
The sooner tourists document their injuries, the more obvious the connection between the injury-causing event and the symptoms experienced. When injured tourists don’t seek medical attention directly after an accident, the insurance company may deny that the injuries were severe enough to warrant treatment, or they may claim unrelated activities caused the victim to be hurt.
Getting medical care right away also helps a local accident attorney in Las Vegas understand the victim’s condition and prognosis to ensure the personal injury settlement is large enough to cover medical expenses and future losses.