Miami Hotel &
Resort Accidents

Were You Injured At A Miami Hotel Or Resort?

Accidents at hotels and resorts usually don’t happen by accident. They happen because of neglect.

At the law firm of Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein, LLP, in Miami, our lawyers hold hotels and resorts accountable when their negligence results in a serious injury to one of their guests. We have recovered significant awards for people injured in hotels and resorts throughout South and Central Florida. For a free evaluation of your case, call (305) 371-2692 .

Our Miami lawyers handle all types of injuries occurring at hotels and resorts, including:

• Slip-and-fall, or trip-and-fall accidents caused by spilled food and liquids in restaurants, broken sidewalks on resort property, unrepaired potholes in parking lots, or other dangerous conditions;
• Criminal assaults that occur in areas of hotels or resorts due to negligent security, such as failure to install lights and video cameras as a deterrence to crime;
• Assaults by hotel or resort staff due to negligent hiring;
• Drowning or other accidents at properties with poorly trained lifeguards or no lifeguards;
• Injuries caused by unsafe recreational equipment such as parasails, Jet Skis and windsurfing equipment; and
• Fatal accidents that result in the loss of a family member.

Hotels Guests Are Susceptible To Robberies

Hotels provide around-the-clock access for their guests. This unfettered access makes it easier for criminals to prey on them. According to eHotelier.com, because hotels, motels and similar establishments are less protected and easily accessible, more guests become victims of robberies that involve the use of firearms at night. These robberies do not always result in theft; they can also result in guests being assaulted, injured and killed by their assailants.

Are Hotels Responsible For Assaults?

If someone attacked you while you were staying at a hotel or resort in Florida, you may have legal options.

Under Florida law, property owners are responsible for providing a reasonably safe environment for guests. If you are injured due to property owner negligence, you may have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against the property owner. This area of law is known as premises liability.

Property conditions that expose guests to risk of injury from assault, robbery, rape or other crimes can create liability for hotel and resort owners. Here are some examples of unsafe conditions:

• Missing or broken security cameras in areas where guests may be at risk of assault
• Inadequate lighting in parking areas or near building entrances
• Missing or broken locks on windows or doors
• Failure to secure key cards to guest rooms
• Allowing intruders into guest areas of hotels
• Missing or inadequately trained security guards
• Attacks from hotel or resort employees

While the criminal justice system exists to punish perpetrators, the civil justice system exists to compensate the victims. If negligent security or unsafe conditions at the hotel or resort caused your assault injury, you may be entitled to compensation for damages such as medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.

Prevention measures

Hotel robberies often increase when there is increased drug activity and decreased police activity in the area. Robberies and assaults can take place on the inside and outside of these establishments and in the areas immediately surrounding them. Hotel owners should take measures to ensure their facilities have proper lighting, security surveillance, attentive and responsible staff, security guards, and processes in place to protect their guests. These security measures should also deter access to criminals. 

Hotel owners who continue to make daily efforts to improve the security and safety of their premises can increase guest safety and prevent criminal attacks from occurring on and around their properties.

Who Is Responsible For My Losses?

A serious personal injury can turn a vacation into a nightmare that turns your life upside down. You may be left with medical bills, lost wages, and physical and emotional scars. Hotel management may offer its sympathy but very little else.

Legal action against hotels and resorts can be based on any of several different legal theories. However, almost all lawsuits brought to a successful conclusion are based on a legal concept known as premises liability. Stated simply, premises liability means that a property owner has a legal responsibility to keep its premises safe from known dangerous conditions.

One difficulty that often arises in lawsuits involving hotel or resort accidents is that multiple parties may be involved: a property owner, a property manager, a security company and others. The hotel or resort owners may claim that another party holds all legal responsibility for the accident. It takes a lawyer with experience, patience and tenacity to sort out the complex relationships among the possible defendants in order to build the strongest case.

The sooner you contact our lawyers for help, the sooner we can begin a detailed investigation and hold the responsible parties accountable under Florida’s personal injury laws.

For More Information About Hotel And Resort Liability

To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Miami personal injury lawyer, call (305) 371-2692, or contact us online.