How Can I Be Injured in a Hotel?
There are a great many seemingly endless ways of getting injured at a hotel. But to give you an idea, here are specific injuries resulting from hotel neglect:
- Bedbug bites
- Falls from ripped carpeting or floors
- Injuries from broken or damaged furniture
- Burns from excessively hot water
- Injuries from broken exercise equipment
- Slipping on liquid spills
- Slipping or falling from ice or snow
No injury from neglect is acceptable for you, a customer or guest, to experience. Hotels have a duty to maintain amenities so that they are in good working condition, comply with building codes and safety standards, and make necessary repairs. They must ensure safety for all customers and guests, and if there is a hazard they cannot remove, they are still legally bound to give reasonable notice to warn guests of dangerous or harmful conditions on their property. If you’ve been injured in a Las Vegas hotel, you need the best injury lawyer in Las Vegas on your side.
What Are My Rights if I’m Injured in a Hotel?
Hotel injury cases are a type of personal injury and fall under premises liability, which assumes a duty of care from the hotel for either resolving a hazard or warning customers and guests to avoid the hazard. Establishing liability and the burden of proof are crucial for any hotel injury case. In Nevada, the injured party is responsible for establishing the liability of the hotel and the burden of proof, which is the evidence that the hotel’s negligence led to your injury. If you had an accident on your own, it does not make the hotel responsible. On the other hand, if the hotel had a hazard and failed to help you avoid getting injured, you may have a case. You must be able to prove that the hotel had what’s called “reasonable foreseeability”, or that they had enough time to be aware of and resolve the hazard. A Las Vegas injury lawyer can check if there was reasonable foreseeability, determine liability, and establish the burden of proof you need for your personal injury claim.
What Do I Do If I’m Injured in a Hotel?
- First, contact hotel management and seek medical attention. You’ll want to let them know right away what happened and start reports, one for the hotel and another for medical records. Even if you don’t feel you’re injured or don’t feel very hurt, you can’t guarantee you’re not injured unless medical professionals have evaluated you. If you choose to get evaluated later, that can negatively affect your case as you need to prove the injuries were from the hotel hazard. Some hotels have medical professionals on staff, so if yours has them or calls an ambulance for you, accept help. Always get copies of all medical records and medical bills.
- Talk only about the facts when the hotel makes its report. Get the information for the hotel’s insurance company and ask for a follow-up from their corporate office. Ask for a copy of this report.
- Besides this, you’ll want to make your own documentation for comparison. Take pictures, videos, and get eyewitness accounts. Exchange contact information with all eyewitnesses for later.
- Contact a lawyer. They are your liaison between you and the hotel, and you need to know and exercise all of your legal rights for your personal injury case.
- Don’t mention anything on the internet about your hotel injury or recovery. Once you write something online, you can’t erase it. You don’t want anything coming back to negatively affect the outcome of your case. Lawyer-client confidentiality exists to protect you, so contact a lawyer whenever you need advice.
- If you miss work, get documentation from your employer showing your absence. Doing so gives you proof for lost wages, unemployment, and other loss of income that happened from your injury.
- Consult your attorney if you are encouraged to sign any documents. Putting your name to paper is a legally binding contract, so you don’t want to sign anything you’ll regret later. It is common to experience being approached for a quick but low settlement offer, and signing off on one can burn your bridges for future damages.
At The Schnitzer Law Firm, we have injury attorneys in Las Vegas ready to work on your personal injury claim for maximum results. Our experience and knowledge of personal injuries include hotel accidents, premises liability law, and other specific laws for the state and city. Our legal representation offers award-winning, compassionate service. Don’t pass up the opportunity for the best injury lawyer in Las Vegas to make your case the most successful possible.
