Many people book a hotel room while traveling on business or vacation, but few expect to be injured during their stay. Common injures that occur in a hotel include slip and falls in rooms or common areas, falls down stairs, elevator or escalator accidents, and drowning accidents in hot tubs and pools.
When a hotel’s negligence is to blame for an injury, someone staying at the hotel may be able to seek compensation for medical bills and other damages resulting from the accident. Premises liability is a legal concept that holds property owners responsible for damages due to an injury on their property.
Common Hazards in a Hotel
Stairway Hazards may include a stairway that is poorly lighted or in disrepair. Rickety hand rails, raised carpeting, worn down stair or other hazards may cause a hotel guest to fall.
Pool and Spa Hazards may include slick surfaces, lack of signage, chemical spills, shutoff features missing or unmarked, missing or flush grates, lack of security features such as a fence or enclosure to prevent drowning.
Elevator or Escalator Hazards may include improperly functioning elevators such as an elevator moving with doors open or falls into an elevator shaft when a car is missing. Escalator injuries may result from uncovered machinery during repairs.
Violence Hazards occur when a guest is a victim of assault or battery due to poor lighting, lack of security features at a hotel, or poor crowd control at an event.
Hotel Room Hazards may include missing or poorly maintained guardrails on balconies, slick surfaces in bath area or lack of safety rail in bath or shower, and broken locks resulting in entrapment or lock outs.
Fire Hazards include malfunction of fire safety equipment, blocked exits that results in injury to a guest.
Contact an Experienced Quad Cities Personal Injury Attorney Today
When someone is injured in an accident at a hotel because of a hazard that the management knew about or reasonably should have known about, a guest may be entitled to compensation. When you are injured in a hotel, it is important to discuss your case with an experienced personal injury lawyer. Contact the Davenport Iowa premises liability lawyers of McDonald & Woodward, P.C. for help at 563-355-6478.