Hotel Injuries

Hotels and resorts have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of their guests. If you have suffered an injury or illness while staying in a hotel, or your child has, there might be grounds for a personal injury claim.

Our Vancouver personal injury lawyers can help you make a hotel injury or illness claim. We’ll ensure you get the maximum amount of compensation for your damages.

Were you injured at a hotel?

Hotels must take reasonable steps to minimise hazards and protect the safety of visitors. This duty extends to guests staying at the hotel or resort, and non-guests making use of the facilities, such as the spa or restaurant. If a hotel fails to meet this duty of care, causing someone to suffer an injury or illness that could have been prevented, the hotel will be liable.

If you have been injured at a hotel and you’re not sure who is to blame, contact our Vancouver personal injury lawyers for advice.

Common hotel injuries

Some of the most common hotel injuries we see as personal injury lawyers are:

Slips and trips

There are countless slip and trip risks in hotels. Spillages, frayed carpets, raised paving slabs, loose wires, broken stairs, poorly lit stairwells and wet floors are just some of the ways in which a hotel slip or trip could happen.

Falls

Safety regulations must be put in place to prevent hotel falls, including falls from balconies, window and mezzanines. These types of falls are especially dangerous and often result in catastrophic injuries.

Swimming pool accidents

Swimming pools are usually a place of fun and relaxation at hotels, but things can quickly go wrong. Accidents often occur due to slips and trips around the poolside, poor maintenance, a lack of lifeguards and inadequate signage.

Food poisoning

The improper storage and preparation of food can result in foodborne illnesses. These typically affect multiple guests at a time, as large numbers of people are eating the same food prepared by the same kitchen.

Burns

Burns tend to happen in hotels where the hot water thermostat is set too high, causing the guest to be scalded in the shower. Burns may also occur in a dining area, and where hot radiators are not covered properly. Other equipment, such as faulty irons in the hotel room, may also be to blame.

Broken furniture, fixtures or fittings

Broken furniture must be repaired or removed to prevent injury. Otherwise, a guest may be injured due to a broken chair, table or bed. Defective fixtures and fittings can also cause harm, such as sinks, hanging pictures and electric sockets.

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are insects that live in mattresses, pillows and certain types of furniture. They cause itchy welts on the skin. Some people will experience an allergic reaction that causes inflammation and swelling of the skin. Guests may inadvertently carry the bed bugs back with them, leading to an infestation in their own home.

Defects in design and construction

The design and construction of the hotel must be safe. There have been cases in which a hotel has been held liable due to faulty design features which pose a risk to visitors. This includes things such as steep staircases or poor lighting.

Criminal activity

Hotels have a duty to protect guests and visitors from criminal activity as best as possible. Measures might include security guards, CCTV, locks and barriers. A failure to do so may result in assault, theft or other types of injury. There was a case in the USA where a hotel was held partly responsible for a woman’s death after a drunk driver careered off the road and crashed into her cabin.

Other

There are many other ways in which a hotel injury or illness might arise. If you or your child has come to harm on a hotel premises, or while on an excursion/on transport organised by a hotel, please contact our Vancouver personal injury lawyers.

What to do if you are injured at a hotel

If you have been injured at a hotel and you don’t need urgent medical attention, we recommend that you:

• Take photos of the scene of the accident as soon as you can.
• Tell the manager of the hotel or resort. Ask them to visit the location of the accident (if applicable) so you can show them what happened. Also ask the manager to write an accident report.
• Tell the tour operator about your injury or illness, if you booked your hotel as part of a package holiday.
• See a doctor to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.
• Speak to witnesses who saw the accident, or who also suffered an illness. Ask to take their names and contact details.

The next step is to speak to our Vancouver personal injury lawyers about making a hotel accident claim.

How can we help?

We specialise in personal injury claims and can tell you whether the hotel or resort is responsible for your injury or illness. If the hotel is liable, we can start a personal injury claim, fighting to get the maximum amount of compensation. If your child was harmed, we can help you make a claim on your child’s behalf.