If you’ve traveled, you’ve probably gone through the ritual of comparing hotel prices and amenities to find a temporary place to stay. What you may not have considered when selecting a hotel was how well prepared it was to protect you from fire.
Gauging how fire-safe a hotel is can be difficult. Just because there’s a smoke detector in your room doesn’t mean it’s been recently serviced, or that the lights won’t go out right when you need them to find your way to the exit.
Of course, you shouldn’t have to worry about what fire precautions a hotel has taken when planning a trip. Building codes are meant to ensure hotels and other public places are consistently safe for visitors. Unfortunately, not all hotels take these regulations as seriously as they should, which can lead to fires and injuries.
If you were injured in a hotel fire, we can assess the facts of your case to determine whether you may be entitled to compensation. The hotel fire injury lawyers at The Stoddard Firm provide aggressive representation to individuals who are seriously hurt due to the negligence of other parties.
At our personal injury law firm in Atlanta, our unwavering commitment is on delivering outstanding legal services and results on every case we handle. We consistently achieve this goal by:
The firm was founded by highly respected attorney Matthew Stoddard over a decade ago. Matt and the entire attorney team are pleased to offer free, no-obligation consultations so you can learn if you have a strong hotel fire injury claim.
The deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history happened in Atlanta at the Winecoff Hotel. The 1946 fire, which took the lives of 119 people, inspired state and national standards for fire safety and prevention. However, as nice as it would be to imagine that inattention to fire safety is a thing of the past, many Georgia hotels are still not as safe as they should be or claim to be. Guests continue to be injured and killed in preventable fires.
If you were hurt or lost a family member, we will help you by getting to the bottom of why the fire happened. If it was due to negligence, we will work hard to try and get you maximum compensation.
Steps we will take include:
Let us take on the complex work of resolving your hotel fire claim. We want you to focus on recuperating from your physical and emotional injuries.
Here are answers to common questions about injury claims.
How much money will I get for my injuries?
How much money you may get depends on the severity of your injuries and other factors. You could get payment for medical expenses, lost income from missing work, pain and suffering, property loss, and additional damages.
Can I sue the hotel if my family member died?
If you are an eligible survivor, you can sue the property if their negligence caused your family member’s death. A hotel fire injury lawyer from our firm can counsel you about filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
How long will my case take?
How long your case takes will depend upon your injuries and all the facts involved. It could be a few months or a year or more. If it can be settled outside of court, it will typically be resolved more quickly. If a fair settlement can’t be reached and going to trial is the best option, it will generally take longer.
To get answers for your unique situation, contact our law firm directly.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration website, there are an estimated 3,900 hotel and motel fires nationwide each year, resulting in 15 deaths, 100 injuries, and $100 million in property damage. Causes of these hotel and motel fires include cooking, electrical malfunctions, open flames, and other unintentional and careless actions.
All property owners have a general responsibility to protect employees and guests from foreseeable dangers. When it comes to hotels and fires, there are also some very specific regulations owners must adhere to, laid out in the International Fire Code and modified by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
The code is intensively detailed, but some of its simplest prescribed fire precautions include having:
Regulations concerning the strength of building materials are harder for guests to assess but just as important for hotel owners to observe.
If a hotel operator fails to take all reasonable steps to prevent fires from starting, spreading, and harming guests, the operator can and should be held financially responsible for the outcome of their negligent failure.
If you’ve been injured or a member of your family died, our experienced hotel fire injury lawyers in Atlanta can assess your case and advise you of your rights. We hold irresponsible hotel operators accountable for the harm they’ve caused. To get started, call our firm for a free consultation at 470-467-2200.
Matt Stoddard is a professional, hardworking, ethical advocate. He routinely faces some of the nation’s largest companies and some of the world’s largest insurers – opponents who have virtually unlimited resources. In these circumstances, Mr. Stoddard is comfortable. Mr. Stoddard provides his strongest efforts to his clients, and he devotes the firm’s significant financial resources to presenting the strongest case possible on their behalf. Matt understands that his clients must put their trust in him. That trust creates an obligation for Matt to work tirelessly on their behalf, and Matt Stoddard does not take that obligation lightly. [ Attorney Bio ]
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