If a person is injured while staying in a hotel, you might think the property manager or owner would pay for that person’s medical bills, lost wages and other damages. Unfortunately, the hotel and its insurance company may think otherwise.
Under Georgia law, hotels and other property owners are responsible for paying injury claims only if they were negligent and their negligence led to the injury. The injured party must prove the property owner was negligent.
Hotels in Georgia have a duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for guests. If they do not, they can be held liable for damages if someone is injured due to unsafe conditions. However, people also have a responsibility to be careful and to watch where they’re going.
It often takes the help of a lawyer to prove the hotel was responsible for injuries suffered in an accident or an assault taking place on the property. Here are some examples of times when the hotel may be responsible:
- The hotel failed to provide reasonable security for guests, resulting in a rape or other assault.
- The hotel failed to provide adequate lighting in parking lots or building entrances.
- The hotel failed to clean up spills or post warnings where there are wet surfaces.
- The hotel failed to repair defects on the property or post warnings.
To be held responsible, the hotel owner must have been aware of the unsafe condition – or should have been aware.
The law firm of Isenberg & Hewitt, PC represents people in Atlanta and throughout Georgia who have been injured at hotels.