Glossary of Terms for Personal Injury Cases in Nevada

  • 1st Party Insurance: Coverage of the victim/injured party
  • 3rd Party Insurance: Coverage of the at fault party
  • Attorney: A person whom is Licensed by the State Bar of Nevada to practice law in Nevada by passing the Bar Exam and fulfilling multiple requirements.
  • CDL: Commercial Driver’s License.
  • Collateral Source Doctrine: Established Nevada Law that stands for the notion that Defendants are prevented from offsetting collateral sources of insurance and/or supplemental payment sources when paying damages to injured parties; thus, a party is responsible solely for any damage caused irrespective of the victim’s personal methods to cover the injury debt.
  • Declaratory Action: When a viable controversy exists between two parties, an action to force a declaration or decision regarding that specific controversy. Demand: When money is demanded for an injury.
  • Defendant: The at fault party.
  • D.U.I.: Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol (.08 in Nevada).
  • Fatal Detail: The name of the police agency investigating a fatal crash.
  • HPD: Henderson Police Department
  • Interpleader: An action allowing the Court to decide how an issue will be decided, typically used with insurance funds when more than one party claims interest to the funds.
  • Intervenor: A party to an action that may have an interest who intervenes in the case.
  • Las Vegas District Court: Court that handles matters over $10,000.00.
  • Las Vegas Justice Court: Court that handles matters under $10,000.00.
  • Las Vegas Small Claims Court: Court that handles matters under $5,000.00.
  • LVMPD: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
  • Medical Payments Coverage: Commonly known as “Med-pay” coverage, this coverage will pay for damages to persons in the covered vehicle for injuries “in and around” the vehicle.
  • Motions in Limine: Motions attorneys file to limit evidence in trial they deem to be prejudicial or irrelevant.
  • Negligence: A breach of an owed duty of care causing damages/injuries
  • NHP: Nevada Highway Patrol
  • Paralegal: A Person skilled in procedural aspects of lawsuits, who assist the attorney, but are not allowed to practice law.
  • Plaintiff: In litigation, the victim, 1st party, or aggrieved party.
  • Phantom Vehicle Rule: Insurance provision that does not allow a 1st party to collect against his/her own insurance coverage because no actual contact was made with the mystery vehicle that caused the accident.
  • Premises Liability: A body of law focused on occurrences on property or land. (e.g. slip, trip, and fall cases.)
  • Recklessness: Encountering and disregarding a known risk.
  • Salvage Value: The remaining value on a vehicle once deemed to be totaled-usually sold for scrap metal. Tips on determinating the value of the car.
  • Statute of Limitations: A limited time period whereby a party can sue. Accident victims have two years from the date of the accident in Nevada and California. For more information: Visit wiki’s Statute of Limitations.
  • Strict Products Liability: Body of law dealing with defectively designed, manufactured, or unreasonably dangerous goods.
  • Tort Law: The body of law that deals with civil wrongs. Tort Law defined by Cornell’s Wex.
  • UM / UIM: Underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage.
  • Vicarious Liability: A legal notion that infers responsibility to an employer for wrongful acts of an employee. Also sometimes called imputed liability. More Info:Vicarious Liability.