Nevada law permits a court to award “punitive” damages in a Las Vegas car accident case. Punitive damages are different than the “compensatory” damages to make you whole for losses such as lost wages and medical bills. They exist both to punish the defendant’s bad behavior and to discourage others from behaving similarly. In general, punitive damages in Nevada may not exceed $300,000 (if the amount of compensatory damages awarded is less than $100,000), or Three times the amount of compensatory damages (if the amount awarded is $100,000 or more). However, these limits do not apply when the accident was caused by a driver who was drunk or stoned due to the willful consumption of alcohol and/or drugs (even prescription ones)