Injured While On Vacation? The Hotel Owner May Be Liable!
When you are on vacation, the last thing you want to worry about is getting injured. However, accidents don’t shy away from vacation plans. In fact, accidents most often happen when you least expect them to – like when you are trying to relax at your hotel.
Getting injured in an accident at a hotel is not much different than getting injured at any other location. Hotel owners, similar to all other property owners, have a duty to provide their guests with facilities that are safe from any hazards or potential dangers. Failure to provide a safe facility could result in hotel injury to the guests.
Holding the Right Parties Responsible After a Hotel Injury
Under California law, similar to other similar state laws, hotels are required to provide a safe environment for their guests and visitors who come onto their premises.
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident while staying at a hotel, you may be able to seek compensation from the hotel owner. In order to hold the hotel legally responsible for your injuries, you will need to hire an experienced personal injury attorney to prove that the hotel was somehow negligent. This means that you and your lawyer will need to prove that the hotel breached a duty that was owed to you while on the premises, and as a result of this breach you suffered injuries.
Common hotel duties include:
- Controlling insect infestation (commonly known as “bed bugs”)
- Maintaining proper security to avoid theft and assaults on guests
- Exercising reasonable care in hiring competent hotel staff
- Training hotel pool staff to prevent injuries to guests and visitors
- Properly maintaining stairs and elevators
- Maintaining locks on hotel rooms
Hold Hotel Employees Liable For Negligent Conduct
In addition to holding the owner of the hotel liable, you may also hold the hotel’s employees liable for their harmful actions under a legal theory known as “vicarious liability.” The liability of the hotel for their employees’ conduct depends on whether the employees’ actions were performed “within the scope of employment.”
Under this theory, a hotel owner may be liable for an employee’s actions even if the owner did not sanction the conduct, was unaware of the conduct, or did not have direct control over the employee at the time the incident happened.
Damages You Can Seek For Your Hotel Injuries
If you are able to prove that the hotel was liable for your injuries, you may seek monetary compensation for your:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Loss of wages
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Emotional and psychological suffering
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Other out of pocket expenses related to the accident
Call an Experienced Los Angeles Hotel Injury Attorney
If you or a loved was injured in an accident while staying at a hotel, our experienced Los Angeles hotel injury attorneys are available to personally review your case. Call us at 1-888-848-5048 to schedule a free, complimentary consultation with our legal team today.