What to Do If You Are Injured in a Hotel
If you are injured during your stay in a hotel, you need to take the right steps. Here is what to do if you are injured in a hotel to preserve your ability to recover damages.
Notify management and ask to make a report.
While hotels are not legally obligated to make injury reports by the state, most will when someone has been injured because of the requirements of their insurance companies or their company policies. Making a report can help you document that your injuries occurred at the hotel. Ask the hotel for a copy of the report and save it. When you are reporting your accident to the manager, avoid making admissions or speculating about your accident’s cause. Simply provide the facts of what happened and how you were injured.
Take photographs.
Documenting your accident by taking photographs is also important. Use your smartphone or digital camera to take photos of where your accident occurred and any dangerous condition that caused it. You should also take photographs of your injuries immediately after your accident. If you can’t take pictures, ask your family or friends to take them for you. You should also look around in the area where you fell to see if there are any surveillance cameras so your lawyer can request footage.
Ask witnesses for their information.
If anyone witnessed your accident, including family members, other hotel guests, or hotel employees, ask them for their names, phone numbers, addresses, and emails. Witness statements can provide invaluable evidence to use in your claim. Getting their contact information can allow your attorney to contact them later to obtain statements about what they saw.
Seek medical care.
If you are seriously injured, call 911 and ask for an ambulance. Even if your injuries appear minor, you should still go to a doctor as soon as possible. You can seek treatment at an urgent care facility in the area. Getting prompt medical attention can help to diagnose your injuries and aid in your recovery process. It can also help you to prove that your injuries were caused by your hotel accident and not a different event.
Keep a file of accident-related documents.
You should gather all documents related to your hotel accident and keep them in a file, including your photographs, witness names, hotel receipts, medical bills, and wage statements showing any lost income you might have suffered because of your injuries. These types of documents can help you to support your claim and demonstrate your losses. Bring your file with you when you consult a personal injury attorney.
Don’t discuss what happened on the internet.
While people are accustomed to sharing everything on social media, you should avoid talking about your accident on travel websites or on your social media page. Statements you make online can be taken out of context and used against you in your case. Instead, keep anything about your hotel accident between you and your attorney.
Contact the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave.
Hotel accident claims can be complex. When you file a lawsuit against a hotel following an on-site accident, you will have to litigate the issues against a large company, its insurer, and its defense lawyers. Hotels typically aggressively defend against liability claims to minimize their losses. When you retain an experienced hotel accident attorney at the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave, you can place yourself on a more even footing against the hotel and the defense lawyers representing it. Call the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave today for a free case evaluation at 417-322-2222 or contact us online.