Staying overnight in a “home away from home” can always feel a little strange, but one thing you should never feel in a hotel or resort is the pain of a serious injury caused by an unreasonably dangerous property condition. Unfortunately, accidents like this happen a lot more often in Arizona than many people would prefer to think — and as many of those same people learn the hard way, these accidents can be uniquely difficult to take effective legal action over as well.
If you were hurt recently because of negligent property management by the owners or managers of a hotel you stayed in, you should strongly consider contacting a Phoenix, AZ hotel accident lawyer from Phillips Law Group for assistance. Our attorneys are not afraid to take big hotel and resort chains to court if necessary, and we bring our decades of experience as a locally owned and operated law firm to every case we handle.
Possible Grounds for a Hotel Injury Lawsuit
A lot of hotels include fine print in their rental agreements or make guests sign liability waivers that seem to absolve hotel management of any and all legal responsibility for accidental injuries on their property. However, it is important to understand that these waivers are not always legally enforceable as they are written — and even if they are, they do not remove the “duty of care” hotel owners have to provide reasonably safe premises for their guests.
With that in mind, it may be possible to file suit over various types of accidents caused by various types of hazards on hotel grounds, including things like:
- Broken floor tiles, stairs, or handrails that lead to a slip or trip and fall
- Defective escalators or elevators
- Frayed or broken electrical wiring, which results in an electrocution accident
- Lack of sufficient lighting in public areas, particularly stairwells and outdoor walkways
- Failure to mark and quickly clean up slipping hazards like spills in interior hallways
A Phoenix, AZ hotel injury attorney can offer guidance during a free, no-obligation consultation about whether a particular scenario could give rise to a civil claim.
Getting Around Legal and Procedural Obstacles
In addition to navigating legalese about whether a hotel is actually liable for their specific injury, hotel accident victims may also need to establish that they themselves were not liable for causing their own injuries through their own negligent behavior. Otherwise, Arizona Revised Statutes § 12-2505 would allow a court to assign a percentage of “comparative fault” to that injured person and reduce their final damage award’s value in proportion to that percentage.
On top of that, A.R.S. § 12-542 sets a strict filing deadline of two years from the date on which an injury first occurred for any civil litigation based on that injury to begin, with very few exceptions. Anyone who fails to sue over a Phoenix, AZ hotel accident with or without a lawyer’s help before that time limit expires will almost certainly be “time-barred” from ever seeking civil compensation for that incident.
Get in Touch With a Phoenix, AZ Hotel Accident Attorney Today
Getting seriously hurt at a hotel can do more than just ruin your vacation or business trip. Depending on how bad your injury is and how much it will interfere with your working ability and personal activities, this sort of accident can change the course of your entire life, especially if you fail to understand and enforce your right to seek civil recovery for the effects it has had on you.
That is where a seasoned Phoenix, AZ hotel accident lawyer from Phillips Law Group can step in to help you make the most of your legal options. Call today to speak with one of our team members and learn more about what we can do for you.
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