Injured in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida Hotel? Fight Back with The Winston Law Firm
People do not come to Florida expecting to get hurt, but for many reasons, that happens to far too many, often in one of the least-expected places – their hotel. The experienced lawyers at The Winston Law Firm have handled all kinds of premises liability cases, including injuries that occur due to the negligence of hotels. We have successfully litigated cases like yours and know exactly what it takes to prove liability and get you the compensation you need and deserve – while showing big hotels that they can not get away with putting their guests in dangerous situations.
Why So Many Accidents and Injuries Occur in Florida Hotels
When you go to a hotel – any hotel – you expect that you will be safe and comfortable and that the staff will attend to your needs. But hotels are big operations. Sometimes, bags are lost. Or lights go out. Or someone forgets to put up a wet floor sign. All of these things have the potential to cause accidents and injuries.
Now, imagine you are talking about a huge building in the middle of Florida, a popular tourist destination. Any problems that a hotel outside of Florida might have are exacerbated here because the entire operation tends to be much larger, so the diligence of the people in charge has to be that much greater. Just a few things that Florida hotels have to concern themselves with include:
- Providing adequate security
- Maintaining highly-trafficked walkways
- Providing sufficient lighting in all areas – including stairways and parking garages
- Problems stemming from intoxication
- Quick and efficient cleanup of spills
- Improperly marked steps by a pool
- Furniture that is broken or improperly repaired
- Food poisoning from large, buffet-style restaurants
- Bed bugs and other pests
Most of these issues are not solely limited to hotels in Florida. Still, due to the size of the operations and the unmatched level of traffic coming and going, there is a lot to cover.
What Kind of Responsibility Do Hotels Have to Guests?
Of course, just because you experience an injury while visiting a hotel in Florida, that does not mean that the owners are automatically responsible and that you will get compensation. Some rules and laws apply to premises liability, and you have to show that your situation meets those requirements, or there is no way that you will win your suit.
When you contact The Winston Law Firm for your free initial consultation, we can look at the specifics of your injury and use our experience to tell you whether or not we feel that you have a viable case worth pursuing.
So, when exactly can a hotel be held liable for someone getting into an accident on their property?
When they fail to keep the premises “reasonably” safe. This can include neglecting to put up required safety signs, blocking off problematic areas, and deciding not to hire security or put up cameras, to name a few potential issues.
When they neglect to address a known issue. Known can mean two things. The first is that someone was already hurt due to the same issue, but the hotel did nothing to fix the situation and prevent it from happening again. But even if no one was previously harmed, it is possible for a hotel to still know about a potential issue (such as uneven walkways) and choose to do nothing because they do not want to expend the time, effort, or money required to fix it. The tough part in these instances is finding a way to demonstrate that the hotel knew about the problem.
When harm (either due to their action or inaction) should have been foreseeable. Hotels may be able to be held liable for some issues even if they did not know about them in advance. In these situations, the burden is on you and your attorney to show that the problem was so obvious or severe that a reasonable person should have been able to tell that a problem might arise. For example, if the hotel is located in an area with a high crime rate but has no security, most reasonable people could probably predict that criminals would take advantage of this. The other side of foreseeable harm is if the hotel has a specific practice they follow that harms someone. The hotel should be held responsible if a reasonable person can look at that practice and see that it might eventually lead to harm.
At The Winston Law Firn, we have experience in similar cases and know precisely what is needed to prove that the hotel is responsible and needs to compensate you.
What Florida Hotels May be Required to Pay
Work with The Winston Law Firm and file a suit against a Florida hotel for negligence related to your injury. You may be able to win compensation to help you in several different ways. Here are some of the most common:
- Medical bills. Going to the doctor or hospital can add up fast, and if the hotel is responsible for your injury, they should pay. At The Winston Law Firm, we sometimes even won people compensation for future medical expenses.
- Pain and suffering. Above and beyond the actual cost of your treatment, injuries cause both physical and emotional pain and distress that you should not have to go through.
- In-house help. Those who suffer a temporary or permanent disability due to a hotel’s negligence will likely need to hire someone to provide household services to care for them, their children, or their estate. You should not have to pay for this if the accident wasn’t your fault.
- Job loss or lost wages. Serious injuries may mean that you can’t work, either on a temporary or permanent basis. The loss of income and medical expenses is a double whammy that most people can’t survive independently. If it is determined that the hotel was responsible for causing your injuries, they should pay you for lost work and the actual bills you receive.
Do not just sit idly by and hope the hotel will do the right thing. Your best chance at getting the compensation you deserve is to work with the experienced hotel injury lawyers at The Winston Law Firm.
We offer a free initial consultation, and most of our cases are taken on a contingency basis, meaning you won’t owe us anything until we win compensation for you. To learn more, call us today at 866-306-9606 (toll-free) or 954-606-6606 (South Florida), or fill out our online case review form.
