Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC represents any injury victim in Louisville, even those hurt at one of the city’s Aloft hotel chains. Like many of the city’s hotels, Aloft has a number of amenities for travelers. However, there’s always the chance that their negligence can leave you with serious injuries. To learn more about your legal options in this unfortunate situation, contact us today for a free consultation.
Do You Need a Lawyer?
The answer here depends on your needs. While there’s many differnet types of accidents and injuries that can happen to you at an Aloft hotel, if it’s only minor you probably don’t need to worry about taking legal action.
That said, if your injuries are more serious and you need extensive care for your other damages, you can really use the help of our team. With our experience, we can explain your options, your best path forward, and can guide you through the entire process from start to finish. More than anything else, we want to make this process as stress-free as possible.
What Can Happen to You at a Hotel?
Because an Aloft hotel is designed with your comfort in mind, there’s a lot of different things they offer. From the layout of the hotel itself to food services, there’s any number of things that are there for your convenience. Unfortunately, though, these same conveniences can lead to incidents that result in you being injured, whether it be from tripping and falling or even being assaulted or robbed because of a lack of security. Generally speaking, hotel injuries we typically see in these cases include:
- Fractures and broken bones
- Muscle tears or strains
- Torn ligaments
- Drowning or near-drowning incidents at pools
- Food poisoning or other illnesses
- Burns
- Assaults and theft
What You Need to Do
Like any accident, your actions become very important after something happnes to you at one of these hotels. That’s why you need to do what you can to protect yourself and your rights. This includes taking the following steps:
- Check for injuries – Check yourself and others for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call emergency services for medical help.
- Report the accident – Report the accident to hotel staff immediately. They can assist and manage the situation effectively.
- Document the scene – Take photos of the scene, injuries, and any property damage for insurance or legal purposes.
- Exchange information with others – If others are involved, share contact and insurance details for future claims.
- Incident reports – Work with hotel staff to fill out a detailed report of what happened.
- Seek medical care – Even minor injuries may require medical attention. Don’t delay seeking treatment. It’s a good idea to get first aid at the hotel and then further care at a hospital or urgent care to address any larger injuries.
- Preserve evidence – Keep records of medical treatments and communicate with the hotel and insurance company for resolution. Also, don’t repair any damaged property.
It’s important to remember that every accident is different. Some situations call for all of these steps, while others may not require such effort. Regardless, you have to prioritze your safety. With that taken care of, you can start thinking about your legal options.
What Are Your Legal Options?
There’s generally two options you have to file an injury claim after you get hurt at an Aloft hotel:
- Filing an insurance claim outside of court
- Through the court system with a personal injury lawsuit.
The easiest way to look at these options are that an insurance claim is much less formal, happening outside of the court system. It gives you a better idea of how strong your claim is, since you’re working directly with an insurance provider. That said, the insurance company has the final say in what they offer you, and it’s typically less than what you need to recover fully.
On the other hand, a lawsuit gives you a chance to recover more financial support, since it involves an impartial judge and jury in the court system. However, the legal process inside the court system usually takes much longer and requires more effort from you. So, it all comes down to what you need. And in order to more fully realize that, it’s important to look at what your damages are.
What Are My Damages After a Hotel Accident?
Much like everything else in these situations, your particular losses are going to determine what your “damages” are. Damages is simply the legal term of the financial and other impacts from the accident, and it’s what you can get back in any injury claim. However, depending on the extent of your injuries and other factors, a claim can help you recover things like:
While this route demands more time and effort, it offers the potential for a more substantial settlement or verdict, termed as “damages.” These damages encompass various aspects such as:
- Medical expenses, covering the costs for medical treatment, surgeries, and rehabilitation.
- Lost income, covering wages or earnings you’ve lost out on due to the accident and subsequent recovery period.
- Repair/Replacement costs for damaged property in the incident.
- Pain and suffering, which covers the physical and emotional distress endured as a result of the accident.
- Loss of companionship or quality of life, covering any lasting impacts on your lifestyle or relationships.
- Punitive damages, which are awarded In cases involving severe misconduct or extreme negligence. These are rare, though.
Who Pays For My Damages?
The question of who pays for your damages is another way of figuring out “liability.” In legal terms, an accident at an Aloft hotel chain falls under “premises liability”, because:
- The hotel or others didn’t keep visitors safe on their property.
This could be because they didn’t fix known problems or do things they should have, like watching over kids in the pool or repairing broken stairs. As such, the hotel will bear at least partial responsibility for any accident that happens on their property. But sometimes, other people could also be responsible, depending on the situation:
- Hotel workers – They might be at fault if they did something wrong that caused an accident, like not cleaning up spills fast enough.
- Maintenance or security workers – If they didn’t do their job right and it led to an accident, they could be to blame. For example, if they put up handrails the wrong way and someone fell because of it.
- Other guests or visitors – They also need to be careful. If they do something that hurts someone else, they could be responsible. Like if a guest throws something off a balcony and hurts someone below.
- Product manufacturers – If you get hurt because of something wrong with a product or food provided by the hotel, the maker of that item could be responsible. For instance, if you get sick from bad food, the company that made it might be to blame.
Liability is an important part of any injury claim, because not only does it determine who pays for your damages, it’s also who you will have to deal with in the claims process. The more people are involved, the more complicated the claims process will be. However, working with our team will guarantee you get the support and treatment you need to recover from your injuries.
Contact Kaufman & Stigger After an Accident at a Louisville Aloft Hotel
When you check in for a stay at an Aloft hotel in Louisville, you shouldn’t have to worry about being hurt. Unfortunately, these incidents happen more regularly than you might think, leaving you and your family facing medical bills and other losses. At Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, our Louisville hotel injury lawyers will be there to help you through the recovery process. To get started, contact us today for a free consultation.
