Injured at Hotel Booked on Expedia – Can I Sue?

Expedia is an online booking site, or travel aggregator, for individuals and small business travel. The company has listings for air travel, car rentals, accommodations, and cruises throughout the world. You can browse through their partners, book your trip, and pay for it through their website, which makes travel planning accessible to just about anyone.

While making travel plans is easy, things can get very complicated if you’ve been injured at a hotel that you booked through the platform. If an act of negligence by the hotel was the cause of your accident, you have the right to sue the business for your physical and mental injuries. But what if Expedia’s actions or lack of action also contributed to your accident? Is there a way you can sue the booking site for your injuries? In this article, we will cover these important topics, along with other concerns you may have, such as:

• What are my rights if I was injured at a hotel I booked through Expedia?
• Are they responsible for an accident at a hotel that’s listed on their website?
• Can I sue Expedia for injury in a hotel if I booked a hotel room through them?
• What kind of losses can I recover if I sue Expedia for a hotel accident?

Keep in mind that we can only offer general information, and you should consult an experienced attorney for answers that are specific to your own case. Our law firm is here for you, so give us a call and schedule a free consultation at your earliest convenience.

Possible Accidents at a Hotel – Motel – Resort

Hotels, motels, and resorts present endless possibilities for accidents, though most of these can be prevented by hotel staff and management. Regular cleaning, inspections of the premises, and adequate security measures are just some of the ways that businesses can ensure the safety of their properties. When hotels are lax in these basic duties, guests may be injured from one of these accidents:

• Slip and fall
• Trip and fall
• Broken chairs / defective furniture
• Falling objects
• Electric shock injury
• Electrical burns / fires
• Heat stroke (broken AC, inadequate ventilation)
• Robbery
• Sexual assault
• Assault and battery
• Collapsing ceiling / roof
• Drowning and other swimming pool accidents
• Elevator injuries
• Escalator accidents
• Food poisoning
• Parking lot / garage accidents
• Bed bug injuries
• Gym equipment injuries
• Bathroom accidents (lack of slip resistant tubs, broken toilet seats, etc.)
• Golf cart accidents

This is not a complete list, so don’t worry if your accident doesn’t fall under one of these categories. What matters is if you were injured by a hazardous condition that was caused by someone else, or could have been prevented with reasonable measures. In that case, contact our law firm right away to learn about your rights and legal options.
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Liability for an Injury at a Hotel

Liability refers to the concept of being responsible for something, like an accident that caused someone physical and / or mental injury. Proving who is liable in your accident is the key to recovering compensation from an insurance claim or lawsuit. Generally, the hotel, motel, or resort is liable if someone is injured on their premises. This makes sense, as owners, managers, and employees are directly responsible for the upkeep of the hotel. But what if you booked your hotel stay on Expedia? Could Expedia be responsible for your accident as well?

Are they Liable for Accidents or Injury in a Hotel – Resort?

In certain cases, Expedia may share liability if a guest or visitor was injured at a property that’s listed on their website. As we mentioned before, you would have to show that the booking site committed an act of negligence, which resulted in or contributed to your accident at a hotel, motel, or resort. Acts of negligence by a travel booking site include:

• Giving out false or misleading information about the hotel.
• Hiding / deleting bad reviews about a hotel.
• Refusing to assist you (help you find another room, for ex) when it’s clear that you are on a hazardous property.
• Ignoring customer complaints about dangerous conditions at a hotel, motel, or resort property.
• Failure to remove hotels that violate their partnership terms of use.

There may be other elements that can be used to prove Expedia’s liability in your accident. It’s essential to discuss your case with a personal injury lawyer, as suing a web-based company is undoubtedly complicated.

What to Do after an Accident at a Hotel

Establishing liability is crucial to a successful outcome in a lawsuit against Expedia, but so are the actions you take right after an injury at a hotel. In order to protect your right to compensation, please take the following steps:

• Seek medical attention, even if you don’t appear to have serious injuries. Some injuries take days or weeks to manifest, or they may be hiding underneath superficial injuries. To ensure the best possible recovery, please see a doctor right away. You must also have a medical report to substantiate your claim for damages in a lawsuit against Expedia.
• If your injuries are serious injuries, call 911 so that you can be taken to the hospital by ambulance. Calling 911 will also send out the police, who can help you file a police report for your accident. This is particularly important if you were the victim of a crime, such as sexual assault or assault and battery. A police report can serve as another valuable piece of evidence in your hotel injury case.
• Take photos or video (or ask someone to help you) of your injuries and the accident scene to clearly document the level of damage you’ve suffered. Keep an eye out for any security cameras that may have captured the incident. If there were witnesses, obtain written statements from them or get their contact info so you can reach out to them later.
• File an accident report with the hotel, motel, or resort. You can do this before you go to the hospital, or right after, depending on the extent of your injuries. Make sure to speak with someone in charge, like a manager, to ensure that the report is filed correctly. However, don’t sign anything or agree to give a recorded statement without consulting a lawyer.
• File a complaint with Expedia, which you can do by calling their customer service line at 1-877-227-7481.
• Get legal advice from an experienced hotel accident injury lawyer.

Our lawyers have the skill and experience to go after the responsible parties in your accident, and ensure that you are fairly compensated for the harm you’ve suffered. Contact our office and schedule a free case evaluation.

Can I Sue Expedia for Injury During a Hotel Stay?

Yes, it’s possible to sue Expedia for an injury during a hotel stay if you can prove that the company’s negligence contributed to your accident. Essentially, this would be a case of third party liability, which would allow you to sue the booking site along with the hotel. These cases are incredibly challenging, as Expedia will argue that they are a simply a third party booking site for the hotel where you were injured. However, travel sites are in a profitable partnership with these hotels, as evidenced by the fees they earn from each booking. They cannot have customers that pay for their services, and at the same time, claim that they have zero responsibility for anything that happens at one of their listings.

How can I Sue Expedia if I Booked a Hotel Room – Motel Room through Them?

An experienced third party liability lawyer is the best way to proceed with a hotel injury claim against Expedia. Even with a strong case, the laws surrounding the liability of booking sites is a relatively new area of law, so it’s difficult for the average person to succeed in one of these cases. Our lawyers can investigate your accident and gather the necessary evidence to support your claims. They will also make sure that your lawsuit is filed correctly and in a timely manner, which is another challenge that can derail your hotel accident case. Just give us a call to get stated on an accident claim if you were injured at a hotel, motel, or resort that was booked through Expedia.

Damages from a Booking Site Hotel Accident Lawsuit

A hotel injury lawsuit against Expedia can cover a wide array of damages, which are associated with the losses resulting from you accident. These damages may include:

• Medical expenses, like doctor’s visits, surgery, and hospitalization
• Physical therapy and other rehabilitative services
• Therapy sessions to help with emotional trauma
• Lost wages
• Loss of future wages if you’re unable to work
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage
• Legal fees
• Punitive damages

An accident on a hotel or resort property can have devastating consequences for you and your loved ones. These include fatality, which are especially common with fall-related accidents, collapsing structures, and drowning accidents. If you are a family member or loved one of someone who died in a hotel accident, you may be able to sue for wrongful death compensation, which includes the following:

• Medical bills
• Funeral / burial costs
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of expected wages / income
• Loss of consortium
• Lost benefits such as healthcare and pension funds
• Legal fees

Please speak to one of our lawyers to verify the full range of damages you are entitled to. We can take immediate action on your case against Expedia, the hotel, or any other liable entity, and bring you the funds you and your family deserve.

Can I Get a Refund from Expedia if I was Injured in a Hotel I Booked with them?

This is a very common question. Ultimately, yes, you could possibly be eligible to get a refund from Expedia if there was an issue with a hotel that you booked with them. However, getting a refund might not be the best option for your specific situation. If you are trying to hold Expedia accountable for the harm that you suffered – that is, if they knew or should have known about the dangerous conditions at the specific hotel that they had listed – then getting a refund could harm your case. In general, when an at-fault party offers a refund, they are essentially doing so in exchange for releasing liability. Some at-fault parties will attempt to resolve the issue and absolve themselves of liability by offering a full refund or even a credit to use in the future. Unfortunately, this is often a trick that allows them to get off the hook and not be held accountable. Before attempting to get a refund or accepting a refund offer from Expedia, it is important that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. In addition to a full refund, you might be entitled to receive significant compensation for medical costs, lost pay, and more. Do not get cheated out of the payout that you are owed. Contact the experts here at our law firm at your earliest convenience.

Contact our Law Firm

For many years, booking sites like Expedia have denied responsibility for accidents occurring at properties that were listed on their sites. They claimed that they were simply a web-based platform, advertising services just like any other site. If someone was harmed at one of these properties, they would wash their hands of the matter by saying it was between them and the hotel.

This is true in some cases, but the law is constantly evolving when it comes to online travel sites. State and federal courts are starting to recognize the duty of care these companies have when they claim a portion of someone’s booking fee. However, it’s challenging to determine the degree of responsibility a third party aggregator has in a lawsuit for personal injury or wrongful death. Our lawyers are up for the challenge, and we will do everything we can to bring you a sense of justice and resolution.

As a sign of commitment to you and your case, we will offer a Zero fee guarantee, meaning you pay nothing upfront to retain one of our attorneys. You also pay nothing throughout your entire case, as all our fees are deferred until we recover your settlement. If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing, since we don’t get paid unless you get paid.

Please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to speaking with you during a free consultation.