Hotel Accident Claims – How To Make A Claim For Injury Compensation

If you have been injured in an accident in a hotel caused by the negligence of a hotel owner or their staff, you could be entitled to compensation. In this article on hotel accident claims, we’ll look at what sorts of accidents could lead to a claim and how the personal injury claims process works. Whether you’ve been injured by damaged hotel furniture or suffered food poisoning after eating in a hotel restaurant, we are here to help.

Our team of claims advisors provide a free case review to anyone who calls for advice. In addition to reviewing your options, our team will offer legal advice on filing a hotel accident claim. If it seems likely that you could receive compensation for the accident, a personal injury lawyer from our panel will discuss your case with you. Should they agree to take on your claim, you will be represented on a No Win, No Fee basis.

If you’d like to begin a hotel accident claim today, please call us on 0800 652 1345 right away. Otherwise, please continue reading to learn more about when you could be compensated for injuries sustained in a hotel.

Can I claim compensation for an accident at a hotel?

For a hotel accident claim to be successful, you will generally need to prove:

• The owners or operators of the hotel owed you a legal duty of care.
• This duty was breached due to a negligent act that led to an incident at the hotel.
• You sustained injuries or illness as a direct result of this accident.

Hotels almost always owe a duty of care to staff, guests, and visitors to ensure everyone’s safety while on the premises. This duty of care means that hotels must actively manage and maintain their property, conduct regular safety checks, provide necessary safety information, and quickly address potential hazards to prevent accidents and injuries. If a hotel fails in this duty and someone is injured as a result, the injured party may have grounds for a compensation claim.

Types of hotel accidents you could be compensated for

Whether you’re staying in a hotel in the UK or as part of a package holiday abroad, you could be compensated for injuries caused by accidents that were not your fault. Some examples of when a hotel could be sued for personal injury compensation include:

• Damaged furniture. The chairs, tables and beds within a hotel should be maintained to keep them as safe as possible. If you cut yourself on damaged furniture or are injured because it collapsed while you were using it, you could make a claim.
• Food poisoning. Hotels must store, prepare, cook and reheat food properly to prevent guests from becoming ill in the same way other food businesses do. If you are made ill from food poisoning after eating in a hotel restaurant, you could have grounds to claim compensation.
• Scalds and burns. An example of where you might start a claim in this category is if you are scalded because of a broken shower thermostat.
• Gym injuries. Hotel accident claims might be possible if you are injured in a gym because of unsafe or faulty gym equipment.
• Criminal injuries. If you are assaulted in a hotel (in the bar for instance), the hotel might be found liable for your criminal injuries if they didn’t have strong enough security measures in place to protect you.
• Swimming pool injuries. As with other areas of the hotel, excess water around a swimming pool and in the changing area should be cleared away as soon as possible and warning signs used to highlight the danger. If that doesn’t happen and you slip as a result, you could be eligible to claim hotel injury compensation.
• Slips, trips and falls. If the negligence of hotel staff or management causes you to fall and injure yourself, you might seek damages for your suffering. For example, you could claim if you tripped and fell on a ripped carpet that hasn’t been repaired for some time.
• Food allergies. If you buy food in a hotel where allergens are not clearly declared, you could claim if you have an allergic reaction.
• Damaged fixtures. It might also be possible to claim if you were injured because of damaged fixtures. For example, you could be compensated if you fell from a balcony due to a loose railing or if you fell in the shower because of a broken safety rail.

Claims are possible for accidents in any part of the hotel if they were caused by the hotel’s negligence. That means you could be compensated for injuries sustained in your room, the foyer, the hotel car park and any other area operated by the hotel.

Common injuries from accidents in hotels

So, as you can see, hotel accident claims can only proceed if you’ve been injured following an accident that was not your fault. The list of potential injuries you could claim for is too long to include here but some common hotel injuries include:

• Food poisoning and allergic reactions.
• Cuts, lacerations and bruises.
• Burn injury.
• Head and brain injuries.
• Broken and fractured bones.
• Electric shock.
• Tendon, ligament and other soft tissue injuries.

If you believe you’ve been injured in a hotel accident that was caused by the hotel’s negligence, please call today and let us review your chances of being compensated for free.

What to do if you’re injured at a hotel?

If you’re injured in a hotel and want to claim compensation you will need evidence to try and prove how you were injured and who was to blame. You can make a good start by

• Visiting the nearest A&E department, calling an ambulance, or seeing a local GP as soon as possible to have your injury or illness assessed.
• Informing the hotel management about the accident promptly. Ensure that they make a formal record of the incident in their hotel accident book and ask for a copy of this report for your records.
• Taking lots of photographs of the location where the accident occurred, especially any conditions that contributed to your injury (such as wet floors, uneven carpeting, or poor lighting). If your injuries are clearly visible, photograph them as well.
• Requesting copies of any recordings of the accident captured by the hotel’s CCTV system.
• Collecting names and contact details of any witnesses to the accident in the hotel.
• Retaining all receipts and records of expenses related to your injury.
• Keeping a diary of any symptoms or difficulties you experience and how they affect your daily routine.

As part of your free consultation, we’ll review any evidence you have. Also, if your claim is accepted, your solicitor will arrange for an independent medical assessment to be conducted as this can be a requirement in personal injury claims. Please call today if you’d like us to check any evidence you’ve secured so far.

How much compensation for an accident at a hotel?

Several factors are used to determine what settlement amount you’ll request from the hotel for your injuries. The heads of loss used in hotel accident claims are general damages (pain and suffering) and special damages (expenses).

Without having all the details to hand about your claim, it’s difficult to say how much compensation you could be paid. However, you could be compensated for any of the following:

• The pain and suffering your injuries (and treatment) caused.
• Loss of amenity.
• Costs linked to replacing any personal property damaged during the accident.
• Travel costs you’ve incurred that are linked to your injuries.
• The cost of a carer.
• Loss of enjoyment of your holiday or trip.
• Any psychological injury caused by distress, anxiety or depression.
• Medical and rehabilitation costs.
• Any earnings you’ve lost or will lose in the future because of your injuries.
• Adaptations to your car or home that will make life easier if you’ve sustained long-term injuries.

It’s important to get this process right because you want to be fully compensated for your suffering and any losses.

If you work with one of our solicitors, they’ll go through your claim with you in fine detail to make sure all aspects of your suffering have been considered. To find out more about how we can help with hotel accident claims, please call today.

How long do you have to start a hotel accident claim?

The amount of time you’ll have to claim compensation for a hotel accident will vary depending on the way you booked. The time limits that will apply are:

• 3-years from the date of your accident in a UK hotel.
• 3-years for injuries sustained in hotels abroad booked as part of a package holiday.
• For accidents in foreign hotels that were booked independently, the time limit will be based on local laws.

If your child was injured in a hotel the time limit won’t apply for UK or package holiday hotel accident claims. Instead, you’ll be able to take action on their behalf at any point before they reach their 18th birthday.

Our advice is to start your hotel accident claim as soon as possible. If you do, your solicitor will have plenty of time to secure evidence to substantiate your claim. Also, in some cases, they may be able to request an interim payment so that you can be treated at a private hospital to help you recover sooner.

Where liability for your accident and injuries is admitted early, your claim could be processed in a number of months if you’ve already recovered from your injuries. Where more time is needed to understand the extent of your injuries or to negotiate over liability, the claim could take longer than a year.

No Win, No Fee hotel accident claims

As mentioned at the start of this article, our solicitors provide a No Win, No Fee service for any hotel accident claims they take on. This means they won’t need paying upfront and you won’t be billed for their work if the claim fails.

The type of No Win, No Fee agreement our solicitors use is called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). It sets out the work they’ll complete for you and what they must achieve before you need to pay them.

If compensation is awarded, your solicitor will deduct an agreed percentage of your compensation. This is called a success fee and it covers all of your solicitor’s work and expenses. So that you know about the fee from the start, it is listed clearly in your CFA.

To check if you can use one of our No Win, No Fee solicitors for your hotel injury claim, please call today.

Start a hotel accident claim today

Starting a hotel accident claim with us is easy. All you need to do is register your interest with one of our specialist advisors on 0800 652 1345. Whatever you choose to do, they’ll review your case and provide free legal advice. If your claim appears to be suitable, they’ll put you in touch with one of our No Win, No Fee solicitors.

Thank you for reading our article on hotel accident claims, and please use live chat to contact us or request a consultation here if you have any further questions.