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Hotel Slip and Fall Lawyer
Get Insights on What It Really Takes to Win a Hotel Slip and Fall Case in Florida
If you were hurt in a slip and fall at a Florida hotel or motel, you may have the right to significant compensation. Hotels carry insurance, employ defense attorneys, and have surveillance systems working in their favor from the moment an accident happens. Having an experienced hotel slip and fall lawyer on your side early can make all the difference in what you recover.
Alan Sackrin is a Board Certified civil trial lawyer who has represented hotel slip and fall victims throughout Florida for over 40 years. He has filed more than 750 lawsuits, obtained over 100 jury verdicts, and regularly receives referrals from other personal injury attorneys who could not achieve a satisfactory result for their own clients. Alan offers a free initial consultation and charges no fee unless he recovers money for you.
Call Alan today at (954) 458-8655.
Why Florida Hotels Are Held to a Higher Standard
Florida law recognizes that hotel guests place a special kind of trust in the businesses where they sleep, shower, and leave their belongings. Because of that unique relationship, hotels are held to a defined duty of care under Florida law, including the standards established by Chapter 509 of the Florida Statutes.
When a hotel or motel fails to maintain safe conditions and that failure causes a guest or visitor to fall and suffer injuries, Florida law gives the injured person the right to pursue compensation. This applies whether you are a paying guest, a restaurant patron visiting the hotel, a conference attendee, or any other invited visitor on the property.
Under Florida Statute 768.0755, if your fall was caused by a foreign substance or a dangerous condition on the floor, you may recover compensation by showing that the hotel had actual or constructive knowledge of the hazard and failed to remedy it. Beyond this statute, Florida courts have long recognized that hotels owe a common law duty to protect their guests from unreasonable risks of harm.
Where Hotel and Motel Slip and Falls Happen
Our firm has handled hotel slip and fall cases in virtually every area of a hotel property. Some of the most common locations include the following.
Bathrooms, Showers and Bathtubs
Wet tile, missing grab bars, insufficient bath mats and slick tub surfaces are among the leading causes of serious hotel injuries. Florida hotels are required to take reasonable precautions to prevent these falls, including providing non-slip surfaces and properly maintained grab bars in showers and tubs.
Swimming Pools and Spa Areas
Pool decks are a persistent hazard, especially when wet. Improperly maintained pool decks, missing warning signs and slippery surfaces around spas put guests at serious risk of injury every day.
Uneven pavement, potholes, poor lighting, broken or misplaced wheel stops and improperly marked speed bumps can all create dangerous fall conditions before a guest ever enters the hotel.
Stairways and Ramps
Missing or inadequate handrails, poor lighting, unmarked steps and wet or slippery ramp surfaces are common factors in stairway falls and are frequently evidence of hotel negligence.
Lobbies and Hallways
Freshly polished floors, recently cleaned surfaces and improper cleaning solutions regularly contribute to lobby and hallway falls. When a hotel cleans a floor and fails to post adequate wet floor warnings, they may be held liable for any injuries that result.
Exercise Rooms and Locker Rooms
These areas often go without adequate supervision, creating slip hazards from water, sweat and equipment use.
Hotel Restaurants and Bars
Spills, improperly cleaned floors and poor lighting in dining and bar areas frequently lead to serious fall injuries. See our restaurant slip and fall page.
Balconies and Exterior Common Areas
Defective balcony surfaces, missing railings and outdoor hazards on hotel grounds can all be the basis for a valid premises liability claim.
What Causes Most Hotel Slip and Falls
Based on decades of handling these cases, the contributing factors Alan sees most often include the following:
Lack of handrails, guardrails and grab bars in bathrooms and stairways. Absence of non-slip surfaces in wet areas such as showers, pool decks and spa areas. Failure to post wet floor warnings after cleaning. Improper cleaning products or procedures that leave floors dangerously slick. Inadequate lighting in parking areas, stairwells and hallways. Poorly maintained parking lots with broken curbs, potholes and misplaced wheel stops. Failure to inspect and repair known hazards within a reasonable time.
Also read: Negligent Security — When poor lighting in hallways, parking areas or stairwells contributes to a fall, the hotel may face additional liability under Florida’s negligent security law.
What to Do After a Hotel Slip and Fall
The steps you take immediately after a fall can significantly affect the outcome of your case.
Report the accident to hotel management right away and make sure an incident report is completed. Ask for a copy of that report. Be accurate when you describe what happened and where you are hurt do not overstate or understate your injuries. Photograph the exact location of the fall, the hazard that caused it and any visible injuries. Collect the names and contact information of any witnesses. Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you feel relatively okay as injuries like herniated discs and head trauma often take time to present symptoms.
Be aware that hotels have surveillance cameras. Footage of the area where you fell is critical evidence, but hotels have no obligation to preserve it unless legally required to do so. An attorney can send a preservation letter immediately to protect that evidence before it is erased.
Do not give a recorded statement to the hotel’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize claims, and anything you say can be used against you.
Damages You Can Recover in a Hotel Slip and Fall
A serious hotel slip and fall can affect your health, your finances and your quality of life for months or years. With the help of an experienced attorney, you may be entitled to recover compensation for the following.
Medical bills, both past and future, including surgery, physical therapy, specialist visits and any long-term care your injuries require. Lost wages for income you were unable to earn while recovering, as well as future lost earning capacity if your injuries are permanent or long-lasting. Pain and suffering for the physical pain and limitations caused by your injuries. Mental anguish and emotional distress resulting from the accident and its aftermath. Loss of consortium for the impact your injuries have had on your marriage or close family relationships.
Read: How much can you get for your hotel slip and fall?
What About Out-of-State Visitors?
Many of Alan’s hotel slip and fall clients are tourists or business travelers who were injured while visiting South Florida. The good news is that the vast majority of personal injury claims settle without going to trial, and most settle without requiring the victim to return to Florida at all.
If a lawsuit is filed, there may be occasions where you need to return to Florida once or twice for a deposition or a mediation but many of those events can be handled by telephone. Going to trial, which would require the most travel, happens in fewer than five percent of personal injury cases.
Alan has successfully represented clients from across the country in Florida hotel claims, including cases arising in Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale.
Why Choose Alan Sackrin as Your Hotel Slip and Fall Lawyer
Alan Sackrin is a Board Certified Civil Trial Expert, a distinction held by fewer than one percent of Florida attorneys. His practice has been built on personal injury trial work, and slip and fall cases against hotels and other property owners represent a substantial portion of his 40-year career.
Over that time Alan has filed more than 750 lawsuits and obtained over 100 jury verdicts. He is an expert in slip and fall trials and has represented many local and out-of-state clients in negligence claims against hotels and motels throughout Florida. Many of his cases come as referrals from other personal injury lawyers who could not get a satisfactory settlement for their own clients.
Alan offers a free initial consultation and takes all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fee unless he recovers money for you.
See Alan’s Slip and Fall Verdicts and Settlements
A Few Important Slip and Fall Facts
Slip and falls are the second leading cause of accidental injury and death in the United States, after car accidents. Every hour, an older adult dies as a result of a fall. The most common injuries resulting from hotel slip and falls include herniated discs, head injuries and knee injuries, all of which can require surgery and long-term medical treatment.
Do You Have a Question?
Since 1982, Alan Sackrin has represented clients throughout Florida in recovering monetary damages for hotel slip and fall, trip and fall and other premises liability injuries. He brings a high level of skill and knowledge to every case and strives to maximize the compensation his clients receive.
Please fill out the “Talk With An Attorney” form on this page or call Alan directly at (954) 458-8655. He promises to get back to you promptly.
Learn more: Slip and Fall Resource Page
Related Slip and Fall Topics
- Slip and Fall Case Checklist
- Sample Slip and Fall Lawsuit
- Stairway Falls
- Hotel Injury and Liability Lawsuits
- Bed Bug Lawsuits Against Hotels
Read the law (from our personal injury blog):