September 25, 2019
When you stay at a Florida hotel, you should be able to take comfort in the amenities and be confident that the place you are paying to stay is safe. Unfortunately, this is typically not the experience people have when they get in an accident at a hotel.
If you fall, get sick or suffer an attack while at staying at a hotel, it may not only be your trip that is ruined. You could also experience serious pain, time away from work and emotional distress. With so much fallout from these incidents, it is important to understand that another party may be liable for the damages you suffer.
Important factors to consider
In accordance with Florida premises liability laws, property owners have a duty to maintain safe premises for invitees and licensees. At a hotel, this would include guests. This duty means that owners must address known or obviously unsafe conditions by either warning others of a hazard or removing the hazard.
In other words, for a hotel owner to be responsible for your accident, you must be a guest or someone else legally permitted to be on site. Further, the accident must occur as a result of dangerous conditions that the owner failed to repair or warn you about.
Types of accidents
Some types of hotel accidents are more common than others. In Florida, examples might include:
- Drowning in a hotel pool
- Slipping on a wet floor
- Getting sick from contaminated food
- Being assaulted in an unsecured parking ramp
- Falling down poorly lit stairwells
- Getting stuck or injured in a broken elevator
These are just some of the conditions that can reflect poorly maintained premises, for which the owner may be liable.
Remedies available
If you get hurt or sick at a Florida hotel, your vacation may be ruined, but that does not mean all is lost. You may be able to recover financial damages from a negligent party. Damages may cover medical expenses, lost wages, costs of changing travel plans as well as emotional distress.
Money awarded in these cases cannot undo an unfortunate and painful situation. However, it can be an effective way of holding the negligent party responsible, getting victims the resources they need to recover and hopefully preventing others from going through the same upsetting experience.