Stepped on Broken Glass at Hotel Injury Lawsuit

If you’ve ever stepped on broken glass, you know how painful it can be to deal with. The foot is an incredibly sensitive area of the body that bears our entire body weight for much of the day. An injury on the bottom of your foot can impeded your ability to walk and perform many basis tasks. Of course, there’s not much you can do besides seeking medical attention if you were injured on your own property. But what if you stepped on broken glass in a hotel, motel, or resort? In that case, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the business for their failure to keep you safe on their premises.

However, holding a business responsible for an injury can be complicated depending on the circumstances of your accident. Then, there’s the injury claim and lawsuit process, which are difficult for the average person to navigate. The lawyers of Normandie are here to guide you and bring you the compensation you are entitled to. Contact us as soon as possible and schedule a free case evaluation.

Broken Glass Accidents at a Hotel

Glass is a normal part of our daily lives, and we generally don’t see them as hazards. However, broken or shattered glass poses a high risk of injury for anyone in its path. Shards must be cleaned up immediately by hotel staff, or there must be a warning sign advising people to stay away from the area.

The hotel restaurant and pool are two areas with the highest potential for stepping on glass accidents. Injuries mostly occur from dropped cups or plates, though broken windows, glass panels, lightbulbs, and wall fixtures can also lead to injuries. Even a small sliver of glass in a person’s foot can result in long-term damage if it’s not treated right away. In the next section, we will go over the harmful effects of stepping on broken glass.
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Injuries from Stepping on Broken Glass

You may be tempted to walk away from the accident and forget about it if your injuries don’t seem that serous. However, some broken glass injuries don’t appear right away. By the time they do manifest, the patient is facing life-threatening consequences that require extensive treatment. Immediate medical attention is needed to prevent the following injuries:

• Severing of the muscle fibers
• Penetration of the bones
• Scarring / disfigurement
• Permanent nerve damage
• Profuse bleeding
• Tetanus
• Severed arteries
• Sepsis (blood poisoning)

As stated above, some of these injuries are life-threatening and may require hospitalization. Afterwards, you may need medication, on-going treatment, and physical therapy. Your recovery needs can have a negative impact on many areas of your life, including your ability to work and provide for your family. Monetary compensation can help you with these losses, but how do you know if you have a case against the hotel?

Can I sue the Hotel if I was Injured by Broken Glass on their Property?

Property owners have a legal duty to ensure the safety of all legitimate visitors on their premises. In general, they must repair or resolve hazardous conditions on their property in order to prevent an accident. The fact that they didn’t know about the hazard is not necessarily an excuse. Most dangers at a hotel are discovered through cleaning and maintenance, which staff and management should be doing on a regular basis.

For example, let’s say a guest dropped their drink at the hotel’s outdoor pool area. Clearly, the hazard was created by the guest and not the hotel. But there should be staff monitoring the pool area so that hazards like broken glass can be taken care of right away. If someone steps in the broken glass due to the staff’s failure to resolve the situation, the hotel is liable for the victim’s injuries.

A hotel is also responsible for their employee’s actions if they occurred within the normal scope of their job duties. Let’s say a maid was cleaning a room and accidentally tipped over a glass vase. She clean ups the glass but neglects to warn the guest and management about the incident. Later on, the guest ends up stepping on a shard of glass that was not picked up by the maid. Although it was the maid that caused the accident, the hazard was created while she was performing her expected job duties. Thus, the hotel is vicariously liable and may be sued by the guest for monetary compensation.

There are many other situations that can make a hotel responsible for a broken glass injury accident. To discuss your case and your right to pursue compensation, contact our law firm and speak to a hotel liability lawsuit attorney.

Steps to take if you’ve had a Broken Glass Accident

Most people believe that the compensation process begins when they file an injury claim or lawsuit. In reality, the steps you take right after your accident are crucial to protecting your rights as an injury victim. Here are the actions we recommend if you’ve stepped on broken glass in a hotel:

• Get medical attention, even if your injuries don’t seem that serious.
• Use your phone to take pictures of your injuries and the accident scene.
• Keep your medical reports in a safe place, where you will store other pieces of evidence.
• Obtain witness statements if possible, or ask witnesses for their contact information.
• File an accident report with someone in charge, like the hotel manager.
• Do not sign anything, as this could be a waiver to free the hotel from responsibility for your accident.
• Speak to a lawyer about your rights and legal options.

It’s important to get advice from a lawyer right away, since the hotel will make attempts to avoid paying on your claim. These attempts may include getting you to sign a liability waiver and asking for a recorded statement that can be used against you later. Our lawyers can protect you against these tactics, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Monetary Damages from a Broken Glass Injury Lawsuit

A personal injury lawsuit can help you recover a wide range of damages, which will compensate you for your physical and emotional injuries. Here is a list of the damages you may be able to request:

• Cost of medical treatments
• Lost wages from missed time at work
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Property damage
• Legal fees
• Punitive damages

As you can see, there are numerous types of compensation that may be available to you. To learn more about the losses you can recover, call our office and speak to a broken glass injury accident lawyer.

Statute of Limitations to File a Lawsuit

All personal injury lawsuits in California have a statute of limitations, which is the amount of time you have to sue an individual or entity for your monetary damages. The statute of limitations for a broken glass injury is two years, which starts from the date of your accident. If you have an injury that doesn’t appear right away, you have two years from the discovery of the injury to file a lawsuit.

Keep in mind that a lawsuit cannot be filed right away. You will have to file an injury claim first and try to agree on a settlement with the hotel’s insurance company. This process takes months on average, but it may be longer depending on the severity of your injuries. If you cannot come to an agreement with the insurer, you can proceed with a lawsuit. To ensure there is enough time to complete the necessary steps, please give us a call at your earliest convenience.

Contact Normandie Law Firm

There are countless ways that you can be injured at a hotel, motel, or resort. As a result, these businesses are legally required to take all reasonable measures to protect their guests from harm. When a hotel fails in their duty of care, victims have the right to seek compensation for their injuries. Sadly, that’s easier said than done, as hotels are protective of their profits, as well as their reputation.

If you’ve sustained injuries from stepping on broken glass at a hotel, you need representation from a skilled personal injury attorney. The lawyers of Normandie have decades of experience with hotel liability cases, ranging from motels to multi-location resorts. We are confident in our ability to fight for you, which is why we offer a Zero fee guarantee. That means you pay nothing upfront to retain our services. The only way we get paid is by winning your case, and if we don’t win, you won’t be responsible for a single penny of our legal fees.

Our lawyers are waiting to speak with you, so please contact our office and schedule a free consultation.

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