7 Common Injuries While Staying at a Hotel

 

Whether travelling for business or a family vacation, you'll most likely stay in a hotel. Hotels are places of luxury, comfort, and safety, so, understandably, you'd choose them as a place to stay when on the road.

You have the legal right to seek help, advice and financial compensation if you are injured while staying at a hotel. The seven most frequent hotel-related injuries are here, so you can see if your circumstance qualifies for a premises liability lawyer.

1.  Falls and slips

These two injuries are the most commonly witnessed injuries by hotel visitors. To avoid injuries to guests, hotel personnel have to keep stairs, sidewalks, walkways, and other traffic areas dry and free of debris. Hotel personnel should also warn visitors about potentially hazardous situations (such as an ice-covered pavement.

Despite these measures, slips, stumbles, and falls are too familiar on hotel grounds. To avoid a slipor fall accident while staying in a hotel, keep an eye out for the following issue areas:

●       Handrails that are broken or insufficient

●       Hallways and stairwells that are dimly lighted or poorly illuminated

●       Near the hotel bar, a drink spills.

●       Steps around the pool or hot tub that are not proper.

●       Tile, carpeting, rugs, or other loose flooring materials

●       Snow- or ice-covered pathways in the lobby recently swept flooring

●       Near the pool or hot tub, there are slick areas.

●       Outdoor walkways or uneven sidewalks

The furniture in the hotel lobby is essential to consider. Because the table is utilized by thousands of guests each year, it tends to wear out.

Hotels frequently fix their furniture in-house to save money and time. However, if the furniture is not in a good repair condition or is fragile, it may break the subsequent use, causing severe injury to the person who uses it.

2.  Food poisoning

It's possible that your motivation for hotelling is to try new and great foods. However, identifying meals that can make you sick later might be tricky. Food poisoning is the fastest way to ruin a trip. So when staying at a hotel, especially in a foreign nation, keep perishable items in mind and keep an eye out for non-potable drinking water.

3.  Water-related accidents

Many hotels, especially in Florida, offer opulent pools and hot tubs where guests can relax or exercise. And although hotels are required to keep the pool area reasonably clean and safe—including posting warning signs and rules, ensuring that the water is sanitary and chemically balanced plus healthy. Maintaining proper temperatures in hot tubs—accidents, including fatal or life-threatening drownings, are still common.

4.  Accidents due to malfunctioning of the exercise instruments

Most hotels and resorts provide a partial or full-service gym for guests to use during their stay. Even though you are always at risk of harming yourself while exercising, the hotel should ensure that all exercise equipment is well-maintained and functional.

For example, if you pulled a muscle while running on a treadmill in the hotel gym, the hotel would not be liable for your injuries. However, if the treadmill malfunctioned while you used it and fell and hurt yourself, the hotel would be responsible for your damages.

Remember the different injuries you could get the next time you stay at a hotel.

5.  Severe burns

Burn injuries aren't something you'd expect to happen in a hotel, but they do happen. The following are some of the most common causes of hotel-related burns:

●       Fireplaces, heaters, or radiators that aren't working properly

●       Hairdryers, outlets, lamps, irons, and other items that don't work

●       Hot tub or scalding shower water

●       Heating equipment in the food area that is too hot

Furthermore, if hotel workers leave cleaning chemicals lying around without sufficient warnings, you may suffer a chemical burn due to their carelessness.

If you have a burn while staying at a hotel, get medical help right once, especially if the burn is severe.

6.  Bugs related injuries

Insect infestations or other contaminants lurking in the room are the last things guests want to consider when staying at a hotel. However, bed bugs and other vermin are always a risk. Bugs are insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals. They can infest a hotel's beds, linens, and furniture, and even if discovered, they are tough to eradicate.

7.  Criminal acts such as assaults

You expect hotel security to keep you safe from employees and outsiders while staying there. Unfortunately, you may become a victim of an assault due to carelessness or insufficient protection.

In this case, the person who assaulted you would be mainly held responsible for the bodily harm they caused. However, if the hotel lacked adequate security, the security staff was irresponsible, or the hotel could have predicted a criminal risk, the hotel is equally responsible for your injuries.

For example, if the hotel failed to conduct a thorough background check on an employee who then assaulted a hotel guest, the hotel's security team would be held liable for the injuries sustained by the guest.

In addition, hotels should guarantee that the locks on each room's windows and doors work correctly. These additional safeguards help to keep guests safe. An individual could utilize those access points to enter a room and abuse a guest if a hotel does not maintain or fix broken or inadequate locks. The hotel would also be liable for any personal harm sustained by a guest in this situation.

Contact a West Palm Beach premises injury lawyer if you suffered any of the injuries mentioned earlier during a recent hotel visit. These experts can fight for you to ensure that you get the money you deserve and need to heal well.