Majority of Hotel Accidents Occur In the Bathtub and Shower
Not so surprisingly slip and falls are the most frequent premise liability or accident types for both guests and employees of hotels. In fact, according to a recent study, slip and falls at hotels accounted for 42% of all claims with security related types of claims another 40%. Many times these two types of claims are inter-related. In a hospitality or hotel setting falls usually happen on stairways, balconies, ramps, and parking lots but most commonly in bathtubs or showers. Important factors usually involved in these falls are the presence or non-presence of handrails/guardrails, the presence of a non-slip surface, adequacy of lighting, and failure to maintain a slip resistant surface.
A static coefficient of friction is the benchmark used to maintain surface safety. Minimum slip resistance in a bathtub should be 0.5 for wet and dry guest bathroom facilities. There are many bathtub treatments and cleaning procedures which can make a bathtub or shower area slip resistant and safe. The hotel operator/owner is liable for a premise liability slip and trip or fall if an injury occurs as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on the property which could have been prevented or easily avoided even if the hazard is not obvious but known or should have been known to the owner.
It is important for all hotels to maintain their shower and bath areas and document the cleaning and maintenance procedure. Bathtubs should be continuously cleaned and degreased and treated with a skid and/or slip resistant treatment.
In our premise liability law practice, we unfortunately have dealt with too many cases involving broken bones and even more serious injuries as a result of hotels failing to properly maintain their facilities. Bathtub and bathroom safety is highly important. These claims are fought hard by insurance companies representing the hotel.
If you or a loved one has suffered a slip and fall accident in a hotel, it would be wise to have an experienced hotel premise liability attorney investigate your claim to determine the cause of the accident and whether or not you are eligible for compensatory damages.
