What Are My Rights If I Slip And Fall In A Florida Hotel?
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
Over 125 million tourists visit our lovely state every year. From St. Petersburg to Key West the Atlantic to the Gulf, the state is dotted with hotels, motels and resorts. Whether you are staying in one or visiting the resort, hotel or motel can be negligent if you slip and fall.Slip And Fall Lawsuits And The Hospitality Industry
If you have slipped and fallen in one of these situations listed below and any one of the numerous hotels, motels, resorts, convention centers in Florida, you may want to consult with a slip and fall attorney to see if you can recover damages from your injuries.
Slips And Falls on Landscaping or Walkways:
If the landscaping is not maintained and there are divots or overgrowth that has caused you to trip and fall as well as any vinyl landscape edging that may be sticking out onto the walkway. Hotels must prevent pebbles from overflowing and maintain well lit walkways at night. There is a staircase with a missing tile or cracked step. If the resort is aware a tile is missing and does not replace it or mark it so guests are warned, the resort is considered negligent and therefore liable under premise liability
Swimming Pool Areas:
In Florida resorts, hotels and motels, the owners are responsible for hazards on their land. A pool is definitely a hazard when it has dangers the owner should have known about or did not maintain reasonable upkeep. These include having anti-slip flooring and enough drainage so that water does not form puddles around the pool. The pool and deck area should be clean and free of debris. It should be inspected before guests are allowed in on a daily basis.
Interior Areas:
It is the hotel, motel or resorts responsibility that they have a safe entry way. Mats should be smooth and able to absorb any water from outside. If you as a guest or visitor trip over any extension cords or slip and fall from a wet floor that was not designated as such. Even a highly waxed dance floor can cause serious injury if you slip and fall.
How Do I Know If I Have A Case Against A Florida Hotel
If you have slipped and fallen and injured yourself while renting a room or suite or visiting someone and are injured, you should contact a slip and fall lawyer, also known as a personal injury attorney. The reason this is so important is that getting compensation relies on several factors. Your attorney will review your case. The cause of your injury will determine how they will argue your case. Two common arguments are premises liability and negligence.
Premises Liability:
Premises liability claims are negligence claims but are due to the condition of real property not negligent activity. In other words when you are injured by a hazard on property owned or maintained by someone else and the property owner should have prevented the occurrence.
Negligence:
In a negligence argument, your personal injury lawyer will argue that the defendant owed you a “duty of care”, and that the defendant breached that duty, resulting in you slipping, falling and being injured.
The next step in a slip and fall case is that you and your slip and fall lawyer will have to prove that the property owners are negligent in that:
● The hotel, motel, resort owner knew or should have known that the danger existed.
● The owner of the property did not take reasonable actions to remove or correct the danger to protect others from harm.
● If it were not for the property owner’s negligence, you would not have been injured.
Since 1987, the St. Pete Lawyer, Michael Babboni has over 30 years of experience protecting injured parties throughout the state of Florida. He will work for you! Call us today at 1-727-381-9200 for a free case review and learn how Michael Babboni will fight for your right to fair compensation.