Woman Sues Palms Casino for 22-Story Elevator Drop

Rebecca Keith Wood is now seeking damages from the property, following the incident, having filed a lawsuit against both Palms Casino and Otis, as confirmed by The Las Vegas Review-Journal, which did the original reporting.

Palms Casino Guest Seeks Damages from Casino and Maintenance Firm

The accident took place on May 5, 2023, but Wood has taken until recently to move forward with legal action against the property. In a complaint seen by the publication and filed in Clark County District Court, the plaintiff stipulated that she had suffered various injuries, although the exact extent of said injuries was not explained in detail.

However, the conditions that were suffered as a result of the elevator drop could become permanent or/and disabling. Wood states in her complaint against the two companies that they had failed to warn visitors about the dangers of using an elevator which was not up to the required technological and safety standard.

The complaint, though, seeks rather small damages from the defendants – only $15,000. While such accidents as the Palms Casino elevator drop are rare, and it’s even rarer for a plunge like that to result in a crash and fatalities, there have been recorded incidents such as those.

Elevator-caused injuries and even deaths do happen every year despite extremely low odds – about 1 in 10 million. There are 17,000 serious injuries in the United States every year caused by elevator malfunction, along with 30 deaths annually.

Exceedingly stringent safety standards have made these cases rare. Wood has at least one prominent case to help her navigate the situation

John Deatherage’s Lawsuit Is a Notable Case in Elevator Accident Claims

The previous major case against a company that was involved with the maintenance of a casino elevator was by John Deatherage who suffered serious spinal injuries, in contrast with Wood’s unknown to the wider public as of yet injuries, and needed fusion surgery, racking up $142,000 in medical bills, and also suffering life-long consequences of an elevator drop at the Harveys Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino.

The case took until 2018 to be resolved, but the plaintiff’s $2 million claim against Schindler Elevator Company, which was tasked with maintenance of the elevator which caused Deatherage his injuries, was found guilty by a jury.

How Wood’s claim will turn out in contrast is still subject to speculation.