An untimely slip and fall at your hotel can ruin your vacation. After it happens, you may feel lost and alone. You may end up in the hospital or have an injury that forces you to cut your vacation short.
The medical bills may pile up, not to mention things like non-refundable airfare and other incidentals.
What to do after a hotel slip and fall
First, you must know what to do after your fall. The first thing is to take inventory of yourself. Decide if you need an ambulance or a doctor’s visit.
When you fall, no matter how minor it may seem, report it to the hotel manager and request medical attention. Some injuries might not be apparent immediately.
Have the hotel fill out and file an incident report. Make sure they know what happened and how you expect them to deal with it.
Find out if the hotel is liable
When you fall, you might think that the hotel is automatically responsible. This is not true. There are some circumstances where the hotel has no responsibility if you fall.
Hotels have the responsibility to take reasonable care to protect you. You have the responsibility to care for your safety. You must:
- Observe all warning signage and postings
- Take note of wet pavement signs, especially when the area is naturally wet, such as a jacuzzi or swimming pool.
- Understand contributory negligence, which is the split of liability. The hotel might not take all the precautions necessary, but neither did you so both parties may be responsible.
These circumstances waive all or part of the hotel’s liability.
If you are visiting from out of town and slip and fall at your hotel, you should retain local legal counsel. Not only do they know Florida law, but they are also capable of helping navigate you through the various legal issues.