October and November bring some of the most common slip and fall hazards of the year to Reno and Sparks. Haunted attractions rely on darkness and fog, wet leaves coat walkways, and the November 1 time change cuts into evening light. If a property owner ignored one of these conditions and you fell, Nevada law may allow you to recover compensation. Get medical care, document the hazard, and speak with an attorney before the two-year filing deadline.
National Safety Council data shows that 43,020 adults age 65 and older died from preventable falls in 2024, and more than 3.85 million older adults were treated in emergency departments for fall injuries in 2023. (National Safety Council)
Why Slip and Fall Hazards Increase in Autumn
In 2026, Nevada Day falls on Friday, October 30, Halloween lands on Saturday, October 31, and daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. That stretch puts more people on porches and sidewalks after dark, often in costumes that limit vision.
The cooling weather adds to the risk, as well. Leaves collect on steps, hold moisture from rain or sprinklers, and break down into a slick layer. Autumn nights in northern Nevada in particular can bring frost to shaded surfaces before owners begin winter maintenance. Later in the season, a slip and fall on ice raises many of the same legal questions covered here. Each of these slip and fall hazards is foreseeable, and foreseeability counts when a claim is evaluated.
Common Slip and Fall Hazards and Who May Be Responsible
Nevada property owners and businesses generally owe visitors reasonable care, which includes repairing or warning about dangerous conditions they know about or should have found through routine inspection. The slip and fall hazards below appear in many injury claims during the autumn.
1. Haunted Houses and Seasonal Attractions
Haunted houses and corn mazes disorient guests with low light, fog, strobes, and uneven dirt, stone, pavement, or concrete paths. Operators owe guests reasonably safe floors, secure railings, and clear exits, and a scare that sends someone into an unmarked step can support a claim.
When we evaluate an attraction injury, we look for basic precautions such as these:
- Marked or lighted changes in floor level
- Taped or covered electrical cords
- Slip-resistant surfaces where fog fluid or spilled drinks collect
- Staff stationed at stairs and tight turns
- Clearly lit emergency exits
2. Wet Leaves on Sidewalks, Steps, and Parking Lots
Wet leaves are among the most overlooked slip and fall hazards of the season, partly because they look harmless until someone steps on a pile that has been soaking for days. Stores, apartment complexes, and homeowners associations are responsible for the walkways they control, so leaves left to collect at an entrance or stairwell suggest the owner had time to notice and clear them. Maintenance logs and cleaning schedules often become key evidence in showing how long the hazard was there.
3. Poor Lighting After the Time Change
After the clocks fall back, many Reno businesses serve customers in the dark, and burned-out parking lot lights or dim stairwells make cracks, potholes, and other slip and fall hazards harder to spot. Lighting maintenance records can show whether an owner knew about the problem.
4. Decorations, Cords, and Crowded Entryways
Extension cords, hay bales, and pumpkins lined up on steps create tripping points that are easy to miss in a crowd, so businesses need to keep decorated entrances clear, and homeowners who welcome trick-or-treaters owe their visitors reasonable care.
What a Premises Liability Attorney Looks for in Your Case
An experienced premises liability attorney will evaluate four elements:
- Duty of care: Whether the owner or business owed you reasonable care as a customer, guest, or visitor.
- Notice: Whether the owner created the hazard, knew about it, or should have discovered it through reasonable inspection.
- Causation: Whether the hazard directly caused your fall and injuries.
- Damages: The medical costs, lost income, and physical and emotional harm that resulted.
Nevada follows modified comparative negligence under NRS 41.141, so you can recover damages if your share of fault is not greater than the defendants’, with your award reduced by your percentage of fault. Because insurers sometimes blame a costume or a moment of distraction, early evidence matters, and a business that decorates every October can be expected to anticipate these slip and fall hazards.
Bob Jensen, a Board Certified personal injury specialist and former Nevada Trial Lawyers Association president, once worked for insurance companies and knows how adjusters build these arguments.
“He takes the time to explain everything clearly, keeps you informed throughout the process, and makes sure you feel supported every step of the way.”
– Elizabeth N.
How to Protect Your Claim After a Slip and Fall Accident
Early action after a slip and fall accident can strengthen your claim because the evidence that shows what happened often fades within days. Seasonal conditions change quickly, store video may be overwritten, and witnesses forget details. The following steps can help preserve the facts of your case while you focus on recovering.
- Seek medical care promptly, since concussions and fractures are not always obvious at first.
- Photograph the hazard, the lighting, and your shoes right away, because seasonal slip and fall hazards disappear once leaves are swept and decorations come down.
- Report the fall to the manager or owner and request a copy of the incident report.
- Collect names and phone numbers from witnesses.
- Ask the business in writing to preserve surveillance video, which may be recorded within days. Learn more about using digital evidence in court.
Important Note
Under NRS 11.190(4)(e), most Nevada personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury, and falls on public property can involve additional notice requirements.
Speak With a Premises Liability Attorney in Reno
A slip and fall this time of year can leave you with medical bills, missed work, and questions about who is responsible. Our team at Jensen Oldham Personal Injury Law helps people across Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fernley, and Truckee work through those questions, and a premises liability attorney can tell you whether the slip and fall hazards behind your injury give you a claim. We have more than 40 years of experience, and best of all, you pay nothing unless we win.
To see how the process works, read our guide to hiring a slip and fall attorney in Reno, or reach out to us for a free case evaluation.