5 HOTEL ACCIDENTS THAT CAN RUIN MORE THAN YOUR VACATION

Every year, people from around the world travel to Myrtle Beach for vacation. As part of their vacation, many stay in hotels, hoping to relax and have a good time.

Unfortunately, not everyone’s trip goes as planned. This can be the case if you or a loved one suffers an accident at your hotel. Below are five events that can occur at a hotel and ruin more than your vacation.

1. Slip-and-fall accidents – There are many common areas where guests may go during their stay. Therefore, lobbies, gyms, meeting rooms and other common spaces should be regularly maintained. This means cleaning up wet floors, repairing broken flooring and installing handrails in appropriate areas. Failure to do this increases the risk of guests slipping and falling.
2. Assaults – While hotels cannot foresee criminal actions of anyone, they have a duty to take reasonable measures to protect guests from conditions that have contributed or are likely to contribute to assault. This can mean putting security cameras in unsecured parking lots or having someone staff the front desk at all times. Failure to do this could leave hotels open to liability for assaults that occur.
3. Drowning – Many hotels have pools, which must comply with strict state regulations. This means limiting access, meeting design specifications and performing maintenance. If these or other obligations are absent or insufficient and an accident results, a hotel could be negligent.
4. Unsafe structures – Hotel operators should not allow guests on, around or under unsafe structures. Devastating damage can be done if balconies, elevated walkways, flooring or roofing fail and collapse in a hotel. If these structures are not sound or are under repair, operators should restrict access to prevent accidents.
5. Contaminated food – Whether food comes as room service or in a continental breakfast, hotels must be sure they comply with rules for safely storing, preparing and serving food. If they do not do this and guests get sick, they could be liable for damages.

In the aftermath of these accidents, victims can suffer physical, emotional and financial damages. Determining if the hotel is liable for the injuries can be crucial for those who pursue compensation. It is also vital that we properly identify, attribute and remedy negligent acts as soon as possible to protect other guests from similar events.