Hotel
Accommodation is the most important part of a trip. The majority of travelers prefer staying in hotels because of comfort, convenience, and amenities. Most importantly, hotels offer a safe and secure environment for travelers to relax on their trips.
While hotel owners work hard to keep their guests safe, mishaps can occur. Accidents in hotels can result in fractures and traumatic brain injuries.
Sandman Signature Hotel In Texas is one such example. Leaking gas resulted in an explosion, which left 21 injured. In 2022, a massive aquarium burst in Berlin. The splinters of glass injured two people, including a guest. Around 350 guests had to evacuate the hotel amid concerns of structural damage.
Another hotel that garnered significant attention last year was Hyatt Hotels, the Chicago-based hospitality company, for an alleged slip-and-fall event.
A woman named Marian Anderson filed a complaint against Hyatt Corporation, stating that she became immobile due to slipping and falling in the hotel’s bathroom. Anderson, as a result of the incident, broke her ankle and required surgery. In her complaint, Anderson sought actual and compensatory damages, litigation expenses, attorney’s fees, and additional punitive damages.
All that being said, we’ll discuss a few common mishaps that occur in hotels.
#1 Slips, Trips, and Falls
Slips, trips, and falls are the leading causes of injuries in hotel guests.
Many slip-and-fall events in hotels occur in guestrooms. Ceramic tiled floors or highly polished stone are blamed for slips, trips, and falls in guestrooms. These areas become wet under normal use, which makes them slippery. The problem is further worsened when personal care products, such as bath oils, soaps, and shampoos, mix with water.
In regard to hotel industry slips and falls, the National Floor Safety Institute considers the floor the most dangerous. It comments that more than seven million emergency room visits occur due to floors in the U.S. It further adds that more than 36,000 deaths occur because of slipping, tripping, or falling on the floor.
#2 Pool-Related Injuries
Almost all hotels have hot tubs and luxurious pools on their premises. The benefit of these water features is that they allow guests to unwind after a hectic day or maintain their fitness even when traveling. However, these water features also carry the risk of injuries if not used properly.
Wet walkways and flooring around the pool’s exterior and surrounding areas result in slips and falls. Victims suffer broken bones, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and sprains.
Another well-known injury linked to hotel pools is drowning. Children are more likely to lose their lives to drowning in swimming pools than adults. Approximately 6,300 children below 15 years of age were treated in the U.S. EDs for nonfatal injuries linked with spa or pool drownings between 2020 and 2022.
The New York Times reported that four children– a four-year-old at a Texas hotel pool, a six-year-old at a Missouri lake, a five-year-old in a California river, and a ten-year-old at an Indiana public pool– drowned within a week. In Illinois (IL), 15 children died due to accidental drowning. Reportedly, nine of them drowned in pools.
Guests who sustain injuries in swimming pools or tubs of hotels are eligible for compensation. Even those who lost their loved ones to accidental drowning can recover damages from the hotel authorities. This is because most pool-related accidents in hotels occur due to the negligence of the authorities. Thus, you can sue them and seek compensation.
Navigating a personal injury case such as a swimming pool accident isn’t easy. However, a personal injury lawyer can help. There is no shortage of options when it comes to personal injury attorneys in the U.S. You can search for them on Google.
If you live in Chicago, simply type “best personal injury lawyer in Chicago, IL.” Tons of options will be displayed on your screen. Likewise, if you reside in Texas, searching for the “best personal injury lawyer in Texas” will bring forth an abundance of options.
TorHoerman Law advises people to call a lawyer right away if a swimming pool accident occurs.
#3 Elevator Accidents
Elevators are an indispensable part of hotels. They make it easy for guests and workers to get from one level to another. Elevators, no doubt, offer convenience, but several risks are associated with their use. Hotel owners often fail to maintain elevators, which results in accidents.
Broken bones, head, neck, and shoulder injuries, and spinal cord and back injuries are common injuries associated with elevator accidents. Most injuries involving elevators result from malfunction. Defective doors and electrocution are other causes of elevator accidents.
To sum things up, hotels leave no stone unturned to provide first-class service to their guests. Yet accidents occur because they fail to take proactive measures to prevent them. Remember to exercise precautions the next time you visit a hotel for your business or leisure trip.
Be sure to wear slip-resistant shoes in the hotel, be it in your room, lobby, or bathroom. They will minimize your risk of slips and falls. Never swim alone in the hotel’s swimming pool. Have a buddy with you so that they can pull you to safety in case you drown. Board the elevator only if its buttons and doors work properly. Otherwise, take the stairs. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.