Whether you are staying at a hotel for business or pleasure, you have normal expectations of safe premises. Hotels have a duty or a responsibility to maintain safe premises for visitors.
When you go to a hotel, they should make sure the floors and grounds are clean and free from hazards and they should make sure that any damages are fixed properly and promptly. Proper care and maintenance are part of the duty or responsibility that a hotel owes it customers.
A slip and fall can happen almost anywhere in a Best Western or in any other hotel. Here are some more common scenarios regarding slip and fall accidents at any hotel, and how a claim can be filed in such situations.
The pool area is a dangerous area. While anyone who goes to the pool is aware that there is risk, you have the right to expect the area to be clean and maintained. For example, when you go to the pool, the tile area around the pool should be slip-resistant, but you know not to run or to proceed without caution.
However, if the hotel has failed to use slip-resistant mats or protect the guests, and you slip and fall because of the water on the tile near the pool area, then you can hold the hotel liable for the damages you suffered when you fell.
When you go to the bathroom to bathe or take a shower, you expect to find slip-resistant mats and tile that are designed to keep you safe and prevent falls. If you go to the shower and there isn’t a bath mat and you slip and fall, hurting your back, you have grounds to pursue a personal injury claim against the hotel.
A shower that leaks, allowing water to pool out on the floor in the bathroom can be dangerous and lead to a slip and fall that could cause a broken arm or an injury to the ankle.
If you are going to the hotel bar or restaurant and there has been a drink spilled on the floor, the staff should mop it up and clean the floor right away or post a wet floor sign to warn visitors of the danger. At the entrance to the hotel lobby or the restaurant and bar, there should be a mat.
The employees should mop up any snow or rain that is tracked in as the wet floor could be a risk to the visitors and could result in a slip and fall that could cause serious injuries.
When employees mop the floor or clean the area, they are supposed to post a wet floor sign to warn the visitors of the hazard so they can use caution when walking through the area.
If you slip and fall at Best Western or any other hotel because of a freshly mopped floor where there wasn’t a warning, you can file a claim against the hotel because that was a negligent act on the part of their employees.
As a home away from home, a hotel should be not only comfortable, but clean and safe for all guests. However, not all hotel owners are willing to put in the work to ensure that guests have not only the expected creature comforts, but also the critical peace of mind that comes from proper care and maintenance of the facility, inside and out.
If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident, you know all-too-well the sudden, devastating impact the incident has on your everyday life. The victim is left to cope with pain, frequent doctor’s visits, hospital stays, lengthy rehab and the decreased earning capacity that comes with lost work time.
What To Do If You Slip And Fall At A Hotel
If you slip and fall at a hotel, you will need to do everything that you can to protect your rights and gather documentation and evidence to support your claim. You will need to notify a manager or supervisor at the hotel of your accident. If possible, get photos of your accident scene and of any visible injuries.
Be sure and establish medical care right away. You will want to maintain your medical records and medical bills to use as evidence and to support your claim. If there are witnesses, ask them to provide written statements and ask them for their names and contact details, so you can contact them for additional information if necessary.
You should maintain documentation to show your lost wages and your missed work. Keep copies of any medical excuses and time sheets. You will want to ask the hotel to reimburse you for your lost wages.
Also, be sure to make note of any future medical care needs and of any future loss of earnings because of the long-term effects of your injuries.
Here are some documents and evidence that can be beneficial to your accident injury claim after a slip and fall:
- Medical bills
- Medical records
- Medical excuses
- Proof of missed work and lost wages
- Photos of the accident scene
- Photos of the injuries
- Witness statements
- Surveillance video of the slip and fall
When you pursue a personal injury claim against the hotel, you will want to be sure that you include all your losses - both past and future. Here are some of the more common damages that someone asks for during a slip and fall claim:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Future loss of earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Property damages
- Permanent disfigurement
- Mental anguish
If you have slipped and fell at at a hotel like Best Western, you should schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer in your area who handles such cases in your state. With the help of a personal injury lawyer, you are much more likely to recover compensation for your damages.
When you hire a slip and fall lawyer, you will not have to pay anything up front or out of pocket. Instead, accident injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, so they will not get compensated until you win your claim and get compensated through a judgment or settlement from the hotel.
There is a strict statute of limitations for pursuing a personal injury claim after a slip and fall at a hotel.
Like any business that relies heavily on the best possible guest experience, Best Western and other hotel and resort operators have a responsibility to ensure safe, well maintained lobbies, hallways, rooms, parking lots, sidewalks and other public areas.
Those who encounter a safety-related problem during their hotel stay have every right to expect a quick response from maintenance, housekeeping and other hotel staff. Safety issues are not only bad for business and the hotel’s legal team, they should be considered unacceptable by hotel operators and should not be put off or ignored.
Of course, this issue is about more than what hotels should do, it’s about what they are required to do to comply with federal health and safety laws. Failure to provide a safe facility not only means the company can face penalties and numerous lawsuits, it also means the company does not care about its guests’ well-being.
Slip-and-fall hazards at a hotel could include:
- Ripped, torn, frayed or damaged carpeting, rugs and floors in the guest rooms, hallways, lobby, vending areas, laundry areas, pool, restaurant and other public areas in the hotel
- Unsafe bathtubs or showers
- A lack of bathmats to keep the bathroom floor from becoming slippery
- Poorly constructed or damaged furniture
- Housekeeping items presenting obstacles in hallways
- Failure to remove snow, ice and excessive water from parking lot and other outdoor areas
- Failure to ensure lobby and other tile floors are dry and free of debris
- Food or drink spills
Similar to other hotels, Best Western is a large company with high-priced lawyers who are experts in defending personal injury claims. However, slip and fall victims should not let that get in the way of seeking compensation for their injuries. Immediately contact an experienced personal injury lawyer if you feel you deserve compensation for your injuries. There is a chance a lawyer may help you through the claims process and, in many cases, may agree not to be paid unless you win your case.
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Best Western, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
