When you stay at a hotel, you have a right to expect safe conditions. Our client’s trust was broken when she tripped on a dangerously worn and torn carpet while navigating a dimly lit staircase, causing her to fall and suffer a broken arm and severe soft tissue injuries to her lower back.
The hotel and its insurance company immediately denied all responsibility. They used a common defense tactic in premises liability cases, arguing the hazardous condition was “open and obvious.” We refused to let them blame the victim. Our team launched a thorough investigation, securing photographs that documented the tattered, hazardous state of the carpet. We also hired a lighting expert whose analysis proved the staircase was inadequately illuminated, violating safety standards.
By demonstrating that the combination of poor lighting and worn carpet created an unavoidable trap, we dismantled their “open and obvious” defense. Our aggressive approach forced the hotel’s insurer to acknowledge their negligence, leading to a $272,000 settlement to compensate our client for her significant pain, suffering, and medical bills from this preventable slip and fall accident.