Can I Sue a Florida Hotel for My Injury?

Florida hotels owe their clients more than just comfortable rooms. Hotel owners are expected to provide a safe space for guests. Any area or equipment that a hotel owns that guests are likely to use should be safe. Florida’s premises liability statute is the law that mandates property owners to keep their premises in reasonably safe conditions.

Many accidents can happen in a hotel. Slip and falls because of wet surfaces are the most common types of accidents. If you suffered an injury after slipping and falling on a wet surface, such as a wet floor, you could receive compensation if you can prove that the floor was negligently left wet or that there was no warning sign to inform guests that the floor was wet. Generally, if you sustained an injury in a hotel, you can sue the hotel and receive compensation if you can prove negligence.

Apart from slip and falls, other accidents occur in hotels. Below are some of the common accidents that occur due to negligence or hazardous conditions in hotels.

Drowning

Florida hotels need to ensure that swimming pools and other areas where drowning can occur are safe. Failure to take necessary measures to ensure safety often leads to incidences of drowning.

A victim of drowning could sue a hotel and recover damages if negligence was involved.

Assaults

Hotels that lack adequate security are prone to violent crimes such as assault. Guests staying at such hotels risk being victims of assault.

When you visit a hotel, you naturally drop your guard. The last thing you expect is to be assaulted in a hotel.

A guest who falls victim to assault in a hotel because the hotel lacked adequate security can sue the hotel and receive compensation. Mostly, if the hotel’s failure to implement a security measure listed under Florida Statute 812.173 led to the assault that led to your injury, you can sue the hotel.

Food Poisoning

Hotel operators must ensure that their guests eat safe food. Negligently exposing guests to unsafe food could lead a hotel to part with a substantial amount of money when sued by food poisoning victims. The most common causes of food poisoning are unrefrigerated and under-cooked ingredients.

When and How To Sue a Hotel for Your Injury

Under Florida law, individuals can sue hotels for their injuries if they can prove that they were injured due to dangerous conditions in hotels, which the hotels knew about or should have known about. Generally, file a lawsuit against a hotel if;

• The hotel owed you a legal duty of care.
• Your injury was caused by an unsafe or hazardous condition in the hotel.
• Hotel management was aware of hazardous or unsafe conditions.
• The hotel administration was unaware of unsafe or hazardous conditions because they were not paying attention.
• Your injury was a result of the hotel administration’s negligence.

After sustaining a personal injury in a hotel, you should take several steps to ensure you handle the situation correctly to increase your chances of having a successful case. Take the following steps if you are a victim of an injury at a Florida hotel.

• Inform the hotel about your injury and the hazardous condition that caused the injury. This is important so that the hotel can get you medical assistance or first aid, and it is also vital as it can help prevent harm to other guests since the hotel will most likely address the danger.
• Gather evidence if you can. You can do so by taking photos of the accident scene.
• Seek medical help. Regardless of how minor or significant, you think your injuries are, seek medical attention from a medical professional immediately to help your well-being and case. When you seek medical assistance immediately after an accident, you establish the connection between the hotel accident and your injury, which is vital for your personal injury case.
• Contact a qualified attorney. To successfully sue a hotel, you need to show enough evidence. Proving negligence is never easy. That is why you need to work with a qualified attorney. The burden of proving that the hotel administration knew about a particular unsafe condition or should have known about it is not one you want to carry alone. Working with a qualified attorney gives you a better chance of proving your case and receiving fair compensation.

Contact a Naples Personal Injury Attorney for Help Today

If you suffered an injury in a hotel, contact a Naples personal injury attorney at The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A., at 239-649-8050 today to receive legal help.

Resource:

flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2012/812.173