42 year-old cashier on vacation gets injured at Florida hotel and collects $125,000.00

Author: Attorney Jason Macri

A 42 year-old woman who was on vacation in Florida with her family was seriously injured when she tripped and fell on a raised concrete slab at her hotel, causing her to fall and break her elbow. The woman was staying at a popular chain hotel in Florida and had gone to the parking lot to get something from her car. As she was returning to her room, she tripped and fell in the area where the asphalt of the parking lot met the walkway of the hotel. There was an approximate 2 inch increase in elevation between the asphalt and the walkway, causing the woman’s foot to strike the increase, which caused her to fall onto her elbow. As soon as her elbow hit the ground, she knew it was broken.

She remained on the ground, writhing in pain and yelling for help until another customer of the hotel noticed her and called for help. An ambulance arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and rushed the woman to the hospital. The hospital staff took x-rays of the injured elbow and noticed that she suffered a spiral fracture of the bone. This was not only an extremely painful injury, but one that would require a great deal of recuperation time. As the woman would later learn, it is nearly impossible to use your arm or hand without bending your elbow.

Back at the hotel, the woman’s family began to worry about her whereabouts and was informed that she had been rushed to the hospital. Not knowing exactly what happened to their mother, the woman’s children were understandably worried and cried as they were taken to the hospital by their father. After realizing that their mother was going to be ok, the family began to focus on what caused their mother to become injured. The woman’s elbow was placed in a sling and she was later discharged from the hospital. It was when she arrived back at the hotel that she was able to show her family how she tripped and became injured. The family took photos of the increased walkway gap and immediately notified the hotel. Hotel employees later came to the scene and placed yellow tape over the walkway gap to help warn other customers of the danger.

The woman and her family tried to get the hotel to pay for her medical bills but they refused. She was forced to hire our office to help get compensation for injuries. We immediately filed a lawsuit against the hotel which is the exact point when they came to their senses and offered to provide compensation to our client.

We were able to negotiate a $125,000.00 settlement which was able to pay our client’s medical bills and also provide financial compensation for her pain and suffering and loss of use of her arm while she rehabbed. Though her quality of life was surely affected by her painful injury, she reported solace in knowing that she was able to pay all of her medical bills and receive compensation for her losses.