3 Accidents a Hotel May Be Responsible For

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There are almost 53,000 motels and hotels in the United States, and every year, guests are injured while staying at a hotel. While some accidents are simply that, many accidents or unexpected events are the result of a lodging establishment failing to prevent the occurrence to begin with. Here are three common events a hotel may be liable for.

1. Slips and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls are the most common types of accident at a hotel and are responsible for 42 percent of all accidents. A hotel may be responsible for slip and fall accident if they did not take adequate measures to prevent the accident. For example, if a janitor mops the hotel lobby floor and fails to put up yellow caution signs alerting people the floor is wet and you slip and fall, the hotel can be held liable.

The hotel may also be liable if they don't maintain the outside areas of their property as well. For example, a hotel that lives in a snowy climate should adequately maintain their pathways, sidewalks, and parking lot to ensure they aren't snow-covered or icy. If they don't plow, shovel, salt, or sand, or alert their guests to slippery conditions and you slip and fall, you can hold them responsible for your injuries.

2. Lax Security

Many people view hotel stay as a place to relax and enjoy their leisure time while on vacation. This attitude sometimes lulls people into being less aware of their surrounding and alert to danger than they normally would. But 40 percent of the bad things that happen to people while staying at a hotel are caused by security breaches.

Hotel guests are often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Wedding, conventions, and other events that take place in the hotel may cause some hotel guests to overindulge when they don't have to worry about driving home at the end of the evening. Inebriated guests can become combative or worse and put the safety of guests in jeopardy.

Unfortunately, sexual assaults are also all too common in hotel and motels, especially if they are in a dangerous area. Dimly lit stairwells without cameras and unattended parking ramps put people at risk of an assault. A hotel that fails to take measures to prevent an assault or other crime is liable for any injury you suffer as a result.

3. Food-borne Illnesses

Many lodging incidents involve food. The last thing anyone wants is an outbreak of food poisoning, especially on vacation. If a hotel doesn't practice safe food handling protocol in their kitchens, it can lead to people becoming seriously ill. If an investigation reveals their equipment was not keeping foods at the right temperatures or employees were not following protocol, the hotel is liable for any illness that results. You can find more info here.

23 September 2019