Can I claim compensation for an accident in a hotel in Ireland for a slip and fall on a wet floor?
Eoin P. Campbell, LL.B., Solicitor
Editor in Chief
Your eligibility to claim compensation for an accident in a hotel in Ireland because of slip and fall accident due to a wet floor is going to depend on the circumstances of your accident.
Hotels in Ireland are accustomed to wet weather and should be suitably prepared against wet floors in areas of public access, including any steps leading up to the hotel. Should the hotel in which you were staying have been negligent in their duty of care to prevent or remove slip hazards attributable to the weather, you should be entitled to make a claim for an accident in a hotel in Ireland.
However, a hotel´s duty of care is not “absolute”. This means that if you slipped and fell on a drink which had been recently spilled on the floor, you might not be able to make a claim for hotel accident compensation if the staff had not had a “reasonable” timeframe in which to identify the hazard and clean it. Only if the spilled drink had remained a hazard for an unreasonable amount of time would you be entitled to make a hotel accident claim in Ireland.
A further scenario is if you were totally responsible for creating the hazard on which you slipped – such as if walking from the shower onto the tiled floor of your bedroom while still wet. In this case you would be considered completely at fault for your accident and no claim for an accident in a hotel in Ireland would be possible.
One other condition that has to be fulfilled before your eligibility to claim compensation for an accident in a hotel in Ireland can be confirmed is that you sought professional medical attention immediately after your slip and fall. If you received first aid at the hotel or administered to your injuries yourself, there will be no record of your injury in your medical history. After any accident in a hotel in Ireland, you should always attend a hospital to undergo a professional medical examination.
With so many unanswered factors in your question, it would be in your best interests to speak with a solicitor and discuss the circumstances of your accident. Once a solicitor has heard the facts of your slip and fall, he or she will be able to determine whether you have a claim for compensation for an accident in an hotel in Ireland which is worth your while to pursue.