Car accident while visiting Las Vegas: the Strip, rental cars and getting home

By InjuryCatch. Not a law firm.
Published and updated . Law and data checked against the linked sources that day.

Nevada's crash rules apply to visitors too: stop, trade information and help anyone hurt (NRS 484E.010 and 484E.030). A rental company that has not insured the renter at $25,000, $50,000 and $20,000 is jointly and severally liable for the renter's negligent driving (NRS 482.305). An LVMPD report costs $13.00, online or by mail from home (LVMPD).

The four-question check

See if a firm takes cases like yours.

About a minute. If it is not a fit, we say so here and nothing goes to a law firm.

It costs $0 to check. If it fits, a Nevada law firm may call you, and the number may be one you do not recognize.

  1. 1 When
  2. 2 Hurt
  3. 3 Insured
  4. 4 Accident
  5. Your number

What happens after you send it.

We read your four answers against what firms can actually take. If it is not a fit, the page says so and no firm gets your answers.

You can go back and change any answer.

Question 1 of 4

  1. When was the accident?

  2. Were you hurt?

    Pain from a crash can show up days later. If you are not sure yet, say so.

  3. Was anyone involved insured?

  4. What kind of accident was it?

  5. Where should the firm call you?

    InjuryCatch is not a law firm or a lawyer referral service. You pay InjuryCatch nothing.

    It costs $0 to check.
On this page
  1. Before you leave Las Vegas
  2. A crash on the Strip, in a resort garage or a parking lot
  3. If you were in a rental car
  4. Getting the police report after you fly home
  5. The SR-1 applies to visitors too
  6. Can a California lawyer handle a Nevada accident?
  7. How long you have
  8. If you were in an Uber or Lyft
  9. Medical care before and after you fly home
  10. Terms you will hear
  11. Sources

Before you leave Las Vegas

  • Get the agency name and the event or crash number from the officer.
  • Write down the other driver's name, address, plate, insurer and policy number. Nevada requires drivers to give name, address and registration after a crash that hurt someone or damaged an attended vehicle (NRS 484E.030).
  • Take photos of the cars, the street, the garage level or lot row, and any signals.
  • Get witnesses' names and phone numbers, including hotel or garage staff who saw it.
  • If you are hurt, get medical care, in Las Vegas or at home.
  • Keep the crash papers together: the report number, claim numbers and the rental agreement.
  • If you are driving a rental, call the number on the rental agreement or key tag, and write down who you spoke to.

A crash on the Strip, in a resort garage or a parking lot

Where the crash happened decides which police agency takes the report. LVMPD takes reports only inside its jurisdiction. Crashes in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City go to those cities' police. Crashes on a freeway, such as I-15 beside the Strip, go to the Nevada State Police and its Highway Patrol (LVMPD, Filing a Report).

LVMPD was formed by merging the City of Las Vegas police with the Clark County Sheriff's Department, which policed the county's unincorporated areas (LVMPD history). So LVMPD's page is the place to start for a crash away from a freeway, unless it was in one of those three cities.

Resort garages and surface lots count too. Nevada's crash duties apply "on a highway or on premises to which the public has access." Stopping, trading information and helping the injured all apply there (NRS 484E.010 and 484E.030). So does the SR-1 report to the DMV when police did not investigate (NRS 484E.070).

If you hit a parked car in a garage, find its owner. If you cannot, leave a note in plain sight. It gives your name and address, and those of the owner of the car you were driving, such as the rental company (NRS 484E.040). Ask the resort's security desk for an incident number too, and write down the officer's name if one comes.

The City of Las Vegas counts over 40 million visitors a year, nearly half arriving by car. Its safety plan calls that "a constant presence of drivers who are unfamiliar with the transportation network" (City of Las Vegas Vision Zero plan, 2022).

If you were in a rental car

Nevada has its own rules for short-term rental companies in NRS chapter 482. They do not replace the fault rules, but they shape who covers what:

  • The rental company's coverage. A rental car cannot be registered in Nevada until the company shows evidence of insurance (NRS 482.295). Nevada's rental statute uses these limits: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 for property. A company that has not covered the renter at those limits is jointly and severally liable for the renter's negligent driving (NRS 482.305).
  • Passengers in the rental. The company's coverage does not have to cover the renter's liability to passengers in the rental car. The company must give the renter written notice of that before handing over the car (NRS 482.305).
  • The damage waiver. A company that sells a damage waiver must disclose that your personal insurance may cover some or all of your liability. It must also tell you to check with your insurer (NRS 482.3156).
  • Charges for damage to the car. Your liability for damage is capped at the costs the statute lists. Those are estimated parts and labor, loss of use at the rental rate, and actual towing, storage and impound fees (NRS 482.3154). The company may not put a hold on your credit card for damage. It may charge the card only with your separate written consent, after an inspection and a written estimate (NRS 482.3157).

Three other papers can bear on coverage. They are your own auto policy, the benefit terms of the card you paid with, and the rental agreement, including any waiver you bought.

Getting the police report after you fly home

Las Vegas Metro (LVMPD) takes report requests online and by U.S. mail as well as in person. The fee is $13.00, and LVMPD says to allow up to 10 business days. Most traffic collision reports can be sent by email through a secure link. If yours will come by U.S. mail, LVMPD asks for a notarized letter and a copy of a valid photo ID (LVMPD).

For a freeway crash worked by the Nevada Highway Patrol, the report is online at CRASHDOCS.org for $10, 7 to 14 days after the crash (NHP). Our guide on how to get a Las Vegas police report has the details for each agency.

The SR-1 applies to visitors too

If no officer investigated, the driver may owe the Nevada DMV an SR-1 report within 10 days. It is due when someone was hurt, or when damage to any one vehicle or piece of property looks like $750 or more (NRS 484E.070).

The form is mailed to the DMV at 555 Wright Way, Carson City, NV 89711. A copy of your insurance and the other listed attachments go with it (SR-1 form).

Can a California lawyer handle a Nevada accident?

Nevada law lets active members of the State Bar of Nevada practice here, along with people otherwise authorized under the Nevada Supreme Court's rules (NRS 7.285).

One of those rules covers lawyers from California or any other state. Under Supreme Court Rule 42, a lawyer licensed elsewhere who does not live or work in Nevada may apply to appear in a Nevada case. The court must approve it, and an active member of the State Bar of Nevada must be associated as counsel of record (SCR 42).

Our guide on whether you need a lawyer after a car accident in Nevada covers the rest of that question.

How long you have

Nevada generally allows two years to file a lawsuit for an injury caused by someone else's wrongful act or neglect (NRS 11.190(4)(e)). A firm confirms which deadline applies to a specific case, including for people who live in another state.

If you were in an Uber or Lyft

Coverage depends on what the driver's app was doing at the moment of the crash. See our guide to Uber and Lyft accidents in Las Vegas.

Medical care before and after you fly home

If you are hurt, see a doctor, in Las Vegas or at home. Mayo Clinic says a whiplash injury may not cause symptoms right away. It says to see a healthcare professional as soon as possible if neck pain and other symptoms follow an injury (Mayo Clinic).

Your own medical payments coverage, if your policy has it, pays without regard to fault, according to the Nevada Division of Insurance (Division of Insurance). Whether an out-of-state policy's terms apply the same way depends on that policy.

Terms you will hear

Event number
The number LVMPD gives an incident. You need it to request the report.
SR-1
The Nevada DMV's Report of Traffic Crash, filed by a driver when police did not investigate.
Short-term lessor
Nevada law's name for a rental car company (NRS 482.305).
Damage waiver
An optional agreement that the rental company will not hold you liable for damage to the rental car, within the limits the statute allows.
Notarized letter
A signed letter stamped by a notary. LVMPD asks for one when a report is sent by mail.
Active member of the State Bar of Nevada
A lawyer licensed to practice in Nevada.

Sources

Law and data on this page were checked against the linked sources. Each line shows when it was last checked. Statutes, regulations and court rules were read at leg.state.nv.us.

  1. NRS 484E.010 (Duty to stop at an injury crash). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  2. NRS 484E.030 (Duty to give information and render aid). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  3. NRS 482.305 (Rental company liability without coverage). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  4. Requesting Report Copies with LVMPD. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, fees effective July 1, 2026. Checked September 18, 2026.
  5. NRS 484E.070 (Driver's crash report to the DMV). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  6. NRS 484E.040 (Duty after hitting an unattended vehicle). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  7. NRS 482.295 (Rental cars must be insured to register). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  8. NRS 482.3156 (Rental damage waiver disclosures). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  9. NRS 482.3154 (Limit on a renter's liability for damage). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  10. NRS 482.3157 (Rental damage charges to a credit card). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  11. NRS 7.285 (Who may practice law in Nevada). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  12. NRS 11.190 (Periods of limitation). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  13. Filing a Report. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.
  14. History of the Department. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.
  15. Vision Zero Action Plan. City of Las Vegas, 2022; NDOT crash data 2015 to 2019, intersection data 2014 to 2018. Checked September 18, 2026.
  16. Crash Report Request. Nevada State Police, Highway Patrol, page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.
  17. SR-1 Report of Traffic Crash (form). Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, form as posted. Checked September 18, 2026.
  18. SCR 42 (Practice of attorneys not admitted in Nevada). Supreme Court of Nevada, Supreme Court Rules, compilation as posted at leg.state.nv.us. Checked September 18, 2026.
  19. Whiplash: Diagnosis and treatment. Mayo Clinic Staff, page dated February 17, 2024. Checked September 18, 2026.
  20. Automobile Insurance. Nevada Division of Insurance, page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.