Slip-and-falls are some of the most common claims filed against hotels. While some falls can just be minor trips, others can involve serious injuries and require extensive medical care. If the fall happens on your hotel property, you could be liable for the injured person’s damages.
There are multiple causes for slip-and-fall incidents, but thankfully, most are preventable with proper maintenance of your property. Educate yourself on the causes of slip-and-falls and why they matter in the world of insurance and claims.
Why Is a Slip-and-Fall a Liability Risk?
As a business owner, you have a responsibility to take care of your property, especially since you have guests paying to stay there. Hotels have an obligation to keep a safe premises and to prevent reasonably foreseeable accidents from occurring.
If you fail to maintain your hotel premises, this is considered a breach of your duty to your customers. Another term insurance uses to describe this is “negligent.” If a breach occurs and creates an unsafe environment for guests, you could be held legally liable for any accidents that happen.
Here are a few examples of negligence in the hotel scene:
- Failing to put out a caution sign when the floor is wet
- Failing to fix faulty equipment
- Failing to fix raised, uneven, or broken flooring
If a guest falls because of any of these things, they may file a claim with your insurance to cover their damages. Some common types of injuries that occur because of falls are:
- Joint dislocation
- Soft tissue injuries
- Sprained muscles
- Bone fractures
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head injuries
These can be very expensive, depending on the extent of the injury, harm suffered, medical bills, and lost income.
What Are Some Common Causes of Slip-and-Falls?
Wet Floors
This is the most frequent cause of falls on business property. Wet floors can be caused by spills from other guests, recent cleaning products, leaks, rain, or snow. If no caution sign is posted to warn guests to be careful, you could be exposed to a possible liability claim.
You can prevent this by putting up signs when the floor is wet and taking care of spills or leaks as soon as possible.
Icy or Wet Sidewalks, Parking Lots, and Swimming Pools
It can be difficult to maintain the outside of your property due to weather. Snow and ice can make conditions slippery, even if you take great care of your sidewalks and parking lots. Around swimming pools, it can also get slick since guests are frequently getting in & out of the water.
Do your best to keep up with the weather & swimming pool safety. When conditions are icy, put down salt. When it is snowy, shovel snow out of the way as often as possible. Place “no running” signs around swimming pools or hot tubs. Post swimming pool expectations, guidelines, and warnings near them as well.
Uneven Flooring
If your hotel has loose floorboards, mats, rugs, or bulging tile, it can cause a fall because it disrupts the smooth floor surface. Anything that causes an unexpected bump in the floor can pose a risk.
In order to prevent falls, maintain your floor surface. Replace it as necessary and place non-slip mats underneath mats or rugs. Pick rugs that are not too thick, especially if many of your guests are elderly.
Poor Lighting
Many people are checking in to hotels in the evening and leaving them early in the morning due to travel schedules. This means that during much of the year in Idaho, it is dark outside when those guests are coming and going from the hotel. They can be more susceptible to falls if they can’t see well in hallways, stairwells, or parking lots.
The fix for this is simple: install adequate lighting. If feasible, lighting should automatically turn on when natural light starts to dim.
Missing or Broken Handrails
Guests use handrails in stairwells or when climbing steps leading to the hotel entrance. If the handrails are loose or nonexistent, unstable people have a higher risk of falling since they have less balance to react with.
If you do not currently have handrails installed, consider investing in some. Perform maintenance checks to be sure the rails are sturdy. Tighten fastenings or replace as necessary.
What Insurance Coverage Would I Need for a Slip-and-Fall?
A standard commercial general liability policy should cover you if you are found liable for a slip-and-fall. This typically pays for bodily injury and property damage on hotel premises up to $1 million per occurrence.
Other common hotel & hospitality business coverages include:
- Liability for guests’ property in a safe deposit box
- Building
- Business personal property, including property of your guests
- Tenants’ improvements and betterments
- Guest property
- Liquor liability
- Spoilage
- Lock replacement
- Liability for guests’ property in a safe deposit box
Real-Life Example: Mary Fell!
Mary is taking a road trip across the country, and she stops at your hotel for the night around 10pm. There is inadequate lighting in the parking lot, so she fumbles in the dark for her bags and heads toward the hotel entrance. Since there isn’t much light outside, she doesn’t notice a wide crack in the sidewalk. As she takes a step, her heel falls into the crack, and she goes tumbling down. Dropping her bags, she puts out her arms to catch herself, and she breaks her elbow in the process.
Mary comes inside and explains what happens. Once her elbow is treated, she files a claim against you, and because you have business liability insurance, your insurance can cover the cost of her medical bills and pain and suffering.
While it is fortunate in this scenario that you had the coverage to take care of Mary, this scenario is easily preventable. Maintain your property, and this is less likely to happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does my insurance decide if I’m negligent? Most insurances will evaluate whether the damages from an accident were “reasonably foreseeable” from a jury’s perspective. If they believe a jury would deem the upkeep of your property as negligent, they can accept liability for the claim made against you.
How expensive are slip-and-fall settlements? That depends. Some slip-and-falls can be very minor with insignificant injuries, but others can be quite expensive because of the injury, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
What should I do if someone falls on my property? Follow these steps: get them immediate medical attention if needed, take detailed notes for evidence, and notify your insurance carrier.
If a child falls on my property, is it a more serious claim? It could be. Children have less awareness of risk, and as your hotel will likely have young guests, it is important to anticipate and address any risks to their well-being.
Final Takeaway
Your hotel should be a place of comfort and safety for your guests. Safeguard yourself and your business by enrolling in the proper insurance for your hotel and preventing unnecessary slip-and-fall claims.
If you need help adding hotel coverage to your policy, talk to one of our local agents today.
Disclaimer: The information included here is designed for informational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, financial or any other sort of advice, nor is it a substitute for such advice. The information may not apply to your specific situation. We have tried to make sure the information is accurate, but it could be outdated or even inaccurate in parts.
