Hotel and Motel Injuries

We live in a free and mobile society, and frequent travel leads to frequent nights spent in a hotel or motel. Many types of injuries can occur in overnight lodging situations, even in bed and breakfast accommodations or inns and resorts. For example, a robbery or mugging can occur while you are on a hotel or motel premises. Dangerous parking lot conditions, such as unmarked curbing or potholes, can lead to falls while walking from a car to a room, or you can get hurt going up and down staircases that have been poorly maintained, or by venturing into a washroom that has just been mopped where an employee forgot to place a wet floor warning sign. Additionally, guests way too frequently encounter in room hazards, such as bedbugs, or a slippery shower surfaces, or cabinets that can be pulled over by a child. Sometimes exercise equipment is defective, or a swimming pool has been opened to use without first being properly chlorinated or disinfected. These types of hazards can result in injury, and some injuries can be serious.

We recently helped a fellow who responded to a knock on his motel room door only to be robbed and shot when he opened the door. The motel had had frequent robberies, and was near an expressway where the robbers would make a fast get away, but the motel did not warn the guests and was subject to legal liability. Out of town travelers are considered excellent prey for robbers because they tend not to want to return to testify in court if the criminal is caught and arrested. Another incident that we helped with not long ago involved a guest who happened to be a volunteer fireman from another state, and when a fire broke out in the hotel, he helped people out of the hotel by knocking on doors, and when he came down the stairs to exit himself, he slipped and seriously hurt his back when he stepped on a mat that had hastely been put down on the freshly mopped and wet floor, which created a serious slipping hazard. Moreover, not long ago we had an inquiry from an individual who was bitten by bedbugs and suffered a severe allergic reaction that was life-threatening. Surprisingly, this insect bite incident occurred at a very high priced hotel that had simply failed to take care of the insect dangers, and failed to follow proper cleaning and hygiene requirements. In still another case we represented not long ago a handicapped individual who was provided a special handicap room, with a shower chair that collapsed when he transferred to it and led to serious injury.

In this short post we cannot possibly outline for you all of the legal issues we have encountered over the years related to motel and hotel liability. Nevertheless, if you or a loved one suffered an injury in a hotel or motel, we encourage you to give us a call. Our experienced legal team will listen to your information and we will provide appropriate advice and guidance.

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