Maison Law represents injury victims in accidents at one of the many hotels throughout California. These places, such as Courtyard by Marriott, have many different risks when it comes to your health and safety. When you or a loved one get hurt there because of the hotel’s negligence, we can help. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Do You Need Our Lawyers?
Because there’s such a wide range of things that can happen to you at a Courtyard by Marriott while you’re staying there, whether or not you need to work with our team depends on your circumstances. There’s a chance that the accident or your injuries will only be minor, and you can get help from the hotel’s staff.
However, if your injuries are more severe, or happen because the incident or the hotel did something extremely reckless, our team can give you a better idea of your legal options.
First and foremost, we’ll make the process easier for you. We’ll launch our own investigation into what happened, help you gather important evidence, then support you through the claims process.
Injuries
Specifically, you’re looking at many different potential injuries depending on what happens to you. Most often, though, accidents at these and other hotels happen when there are:
- Slip and fall hazards
- Swimming pool accidents
- Incidents due to lack of security
- Electrical hazards
- Poorly cooked food
- Inadequate maintenance
- Hazards from broken flooring or stairs
These, in turn, lead to injuries like:
- Broken bones
- Muscle strains
- Cuts and bruises
- Burns
- Robberies or assaults
- Food borne illnesses
- Drowning or near drowning
All of this adds up to the need for medical care and more extensive losses, which is going to require that you pursue a legal claim for damages.
What is the Claims Process After These Incidents?
In legal terms, an accident or injuries at a Courtyard by Marriott falls under the umbrella of a “premises liability” case. In terms of the claims process, the first step is the same as any other injury claim: figuring out who is responsible. When the accident happens at Courtyard by Marriott, the hotel itself is going to share at least some of the liability. However, determining who exactly is responsible is going to depend on what happened. Still, liability is going to be determined by the legal concept of negligence, which is:
- A duty of care to keep you and other visitors safe while on the property.
When this is breached, either by the hotel failing to address certain known hazards or by them not doing something they should have expected (like failing to keep an eye on your child while they were swimming), they’ll carry some liability for any damages. But there’s others that could potentially be liable, like:
- Other hotel guests
- Hotel staff
- Contactors, like maintenance or security workers
- Product manufacturers
- Designers of the rooms or layout
Filing your claim
With liability established, you can then move forward to actually filing your claim. Generally, you do this by filing an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, but sometimes both. The main difference is that the insurance claim happens outside of court, while the lawsuit occurs inside the legal system.
An insurance claim is less formal, and can give you quicker access to settlement money. However, the insurance company is the sole decider on what they offer you, and their number one goal is to pay you as little as possible–while still protecting their insured.
Conversely, the lawsuit is decided by an impartial judge and jury, but usually requires much more time and effort on your part. That said, it also gives you a better chance at getting a higher settlement offer or verdict, which is known as “damages.”
Damages in a Claim
No matter the nature of your injuries, when you suffer harm in a premises liability case, addressing the resulting damages becomes paramount. The primary aim of the legal procedure is to secure financial compensation for the injuries and other adverse effects endured. It’s crucial to bear in mind that the available damages hinge on several factors, from the extent of your injuries to how much fault you had in the incident (known as “comparative negligence.) Even with this, you can recover certain losses, like:
- Medical bills and continued care costs.
- Income lost because of the injury.
- Suffering from physical pain and emotional distress.
- Missing out on enjoyable activities or time with loved ones.
- In severe cases of negligence, extra penalties called punitive damages may be given to stores or others at fault.
Obviously, the more hurt you are, the more damages you can potentially recover. But your actions–or inactions–are going to play a huge role in the claims process. So, it’s important to know what to do after an accident happens at a Courtyard hotel.
What You Need to Do After a Hotel Accident
No matter what the circumstances are that surround your incident at a Courtyard by Marriott, it’s important to do a few things. Your health and safety should always take priority, but doing the following can also help you protect your legal rights. Here’s what you should do:
- Get medical assistance – If you or anyone else is hurt, see a doctor right away. Even if it doesn’t seem serious, it’s important to get checked by a doctor.
- Tell the hotel – Let the hotel staff or management know about the accident as soon as possible. They should write down what happened and give you a copy. Make sure to explain how the accident happened and if anyone got hurt.
- Gather visual evidence – Use your phone or camera to take pictures of where the accident happened. Also, snap photos of anything that might have caused the accident, like spills or broken stuff. Get contact info from any witnesses, too.
- Save your records – Keep any papers or records related to the accident, like doctor bills or receipts for things you had to buy because of it. Also, save any emails or letters you get from the hotel or insurance company.
Doing these things can help you protect yourself and make it easier to pursue your legal options. Remember, you have two years from the date of the accident to file your claim, so it’s important to act as quickly as possible so you don’t miss out on being able to file a claim. While the process is different for every incident, our team at Maison Law can give you a personalized approach to your case, then support you from start to finish.
Hotel Injury Victims in California Can Count on Maison Law
If you get hurt because of someone else’s mistakes or negligence during a stay at a Courtyard by Marriott in California, it can cause a lot of problems for you. You might have to pay for medical bills, get treatment, do rehab, or miss work. But you don’t have to deal with it alone. Our team of lawyers at Maison Law is here to help. You can count on our experience and dedication. To learn more about your options or to discuss your potential claim, contact us today for a free consultation.
