The claims of a magic act participant are currently being considered by a Las Vegas judge, after the victim claimed to have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while serving as an audience volunteer for a trick being performed by famous magician David Copperfield. Learn about the claims and status of the trial below, and speak with a skilled Nevada slip-and-fall injury lawyer after a premises liability accident.
Gavin Cox, 58, was with his family for a vacation to Las Vegas for his birthday in 2013. During their trip, the Cox family, hailing from the UK, attended the David Copperfield show at the MGM Grand casino-resort. The grand finale of the Copperfield show at that time included a vanishing trick known as “Lucky 13.” During the illusion, 13 audience members are randomly selected to come onstage and stand on a platform, from which they subsequently “vanish.” In reality, the group is shuttled off stage and through a backstage hallway leading out of the resort.
Cox claimed that the volunteers were hurried at a fast pace along the path leading out of the resort, which was dark, chaotic and littered with debris due to ongoing construction in the resort. Cox claimed that the chaos and lack of visibility backstage caused him to slip and fall, becoming seriously injured. He was taken from the resort to a hospital with a dislocated shoulder. Months after returning home, Cox was experiencing neurological symptoms. After a doctor’s visit, he learned that he had a lesion on his brain that he claims developed due to his fall during the “Lucky 13” trick.
When being selected for the trick, Cox testified that he was not warned of a risk of injury from participating. His attorney explained during the trial that, “he and possibly all of the other participants had an expectation of safety. So, Mr. Cox (said), ‘OK, I guess I’m going to be OK. Why would David Copperfield, who is so famous, select me and not protect me?’” Cox’s lawyer argued that, when considering the number of fall hazards backstage at the resort, the trick was an “accident waiting to happen” and that his client was the unlucky participant to fall victim to one of the slipping hazards. Cox is seeking compensation for his ongoing chronic headaches, as well as the over-$400,000 he claims to have spent on medical expenses relating to his fall. Arguments in the trial have now concluded, and, after a brief hiatus, the trial is expected to resume with closing arguments on May 23, 2018.
Contact Slip-and-Fall Accident Lawyers
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Nevada casino slip-and-fall accident, find out if you’re a good candidate to file a personal injury lawsuit based on these injuries by contacting the Henderson premises liability attorneys at the David Boehrer Law Firm for a free consultation at 702-750-0750.