If I’m injured in a hotel room, should I be compensated?
I recently did somebody's hair for their wedding. I was their hairstylist at a hotel in New Orleans. One of the coffee tables in her suite had damaged trim and exposed nails. During the time that I was doing her hair, I backed up and one of the back of the nails went through my foot, and it immediately started bleeding. We had to stop the bleeding so I could finish her hair for her wedding.
I let security know. They did an incident report, and I don't know what my next step could be. Is that something that I need to follow up on? Should I get something like a free room or something because of what happened, or should I just let it go like nothing ever happened?”
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I'm so sorry about this situation! I want to address your situation with a detailed response, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask because this law stuff can get complicated.
The short answer? In this case you may need to sue.
That's the short answer.
Here is the long answer: Since you already filed an incident report and notified hotel staff, you did the right first step. The fact that no one followed up is pretty common, but that doesn’t mean you should let it go if you feel you were harmed and inconvenienced. Even if you didn’t need medical care at the time, the injury clearly caused you pain, interrupted your work, and messed up your trip and your ability to stand comfortably afterward.
At this point, you can make a formal demand to the hotel for compensation. This can include asking for things like a refund for your room, a free future stay, or some financial compensation for your pain and disruption. You should write a detailed email or letter to the hotel manager or their risk management team describing exactly what happened, how it impacted you, and what you are asking for.
If they still ignore you, you can escalate it by talking to a personal injury attorney (many offer free consultations) to see if a small claim or a formal demand letter would be worth it. You don’t necessarily have to go all the way to court — a strong letter can sometimes get them to act.
If you feel okay just moving on and don’t want to pursue it, that’s totally up to you, but given how much it disrupted your work, I’d say it’s reasonable to at least push for some compensation rather than letting it slide.
Does that help clarify things? I want to make sure I didn’t leave anything out.
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I recently did somebody's hair for their wedding. I was their hairstylist at a hotel in New Orleans. One of the coffee tables in her suite had damaged trim and exposed nails. During the time that I was doing her hair, I backed up and one of the back of the nails went through my foot, and it immediately started bleeding. We had to stop the bleeding so I could finish her hair for her wedding.
I let security know. They did an incident report, and I don't know what my next step could be. Is that something that I need to follow up on? Should I get something like a free room or something because of what happened, or should I just let it go like nothing ever happened?”
Lexi, Chatbot
That sounds like a really unfortunate incident. Have you sought medical attention for the injury to your foot?
No I had a tetanus shot last year, and although it bled, no medical attention was needed also, a doctor was at the wedding and looked at it.
Lexi, Chatbot
Did you discuss the incident with the hotel management or staff besides informing security?
Yes
Lexi, Chatbot
Is there anything else the lawyer should know before I connect you? Rest assured they'll be able to help with your injury claim.
Yes
Michael M. Esq.
Hello! My name is Michael, and I'm an attorney ready to help! Your responses matter to me, so I only need a few minutes to review and respond to each of your posts. Did you get a chance to inspect the area before beginning work?
No, we were in a hotel suite doing the bride's hair and makeup for her wedding when this happened. Being that it was a suite, it should have been safe to walk around.
Michael M. Esq.
I'm so sorry about that! Did you seek any medical care at all?
There was a doctor at the wedding. She looked at it she said, since I had a tetanus shot last year, I was fine, and that may be sore for the days to follow, but it was ok.
I also filed an incident report at the hotel.
Michael M. Esq.
Understood! So you're just wondering what it is you can do here, correct?
Yes.
Michael M. Esq.
Ok! Did you need to tell me anything else? If not, I can start with answering your question.
I was also told after filing the incident report that someone would contact me, and no one has. I also sent 2 emails out with no response.
Michael M. Esq.
Ok! I just need a little time to draft up a high-quality answer. I'll be with you as soon as possible. It won't be terribly long, ok?
I will say this: although it was an accident, it could have been totally avoidable. The trim was totally broken off the table, leaving the nails exposed. And it ruined the last day of my trip. And the following week and a half after.
I am a salon owner and stand for hours, so it was definitely inconvenient.
Michael M. Esq.
I'm so sorry about this situation! I want to address your situation with a detailed response, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask because this law stuff can get complicated.
The short answer? In this case you may need to sue.
That's the short answer.
Here is the long answer: Since you already filed an incident report and notified hotel staff, you did the right first step. The fact that no one followed up is pretty common, but that doesn’t mean you should let it go if you feel you were harmed and inconvenienced. Even if you didn’t need medical care at the time, the injury clearly caused you pain, interrupted your work, and messed up your trip and your ability to stand comfortably afterward.
At this point, you can make a formal demand to the hotel for compensation. This can include asking for things like a refund for your room, a free future stay, or some financial compensation for your pain and disruption. You should write a detailed email or letter to the hotel manager or their risk management team describing exactly what happened, how it impacted you, and what you are asking for.
If they still ignore you, you can escalate it by talking to a personal injury attorney (many offer free consultations) to see if a small claim or a formal demand letter would be worth it. You don’t necessarily have to go all the way to court — a strong letter can sometimes get them to act.
If you feel okay just moving on and don’t want to pursue it, that’s totally up to you, but given how much it disrupted your work, I’d say it’s reasonable to at least push for some compensation rather than letting it slide.
Does that help clarify things? I want to make sure I didn’t leave anything out.
Yes.
Michael M. Esq.
Did I thoroughly address your question? Did I provide top-tier service to you? If the answer is no to either, please let me know so I can help!
I think this is fine. I just wanted to make sure if I escalate this issue I'm in the right.
Michael M. Esq.
Thank you so much for contacting us! We're happy to help whenever you need it.
Michael M. Esq.
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