Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers help accident victims earn financial support after they’ve suffered an injury at a rental property secured through Airbnb or Vrbo. Our Fort Lauderdale accident lawyers offer free, confidential consultations to all victims in Southern Florida. Contact our offices to find out what your case may be worth and how to hold property and business owners fully responsible for a painful injury due to their negligence.
When Should I Call a Lawyer After an Accident at a Fort Lauderdale Airbnb?
If an accident at a rental property only results in a very minor injury, you probably won’t need a lawyer’s help. But if you suffer a serious injury and a Vrbo owner or property management company is to blame, you should contact a lawyer and go over your case.
You have the right to seek financial compensation for your injury. But when medical bills start to rise, liability insurance companies for those at fault look for ways to question your injury and avoid taking responsibility.
You’ll want a skilled Fort Lauderdale Airbnb Liability Accident Lawyer fighting back when a vacation rental company tries to blame you for your injury. Your lawyer fully investigates what happened and then demands the maximum in compensation available.
Vrbo Accident Dangers in Fort Lauderdale
Plenty of people want to spend their vacation days in beautiful places like Fort Lauderdale. When looking for lodging, many of those visitors choose the comfort and space an Airbnb rental provides.
They want a place that’s clean and convenient, but they should also get the keys to a property that’s completely safe.
Unfortunately, homeowners and property managers can let maintenance slide and leave issues unrepaired and damage that other guests have done for the next guests. This negligence can lead to painful and long-term injuries.
These are some examples of places where personal injury accidents involving premises liability that our lawyers help clients with:
- Slip-and-fall accidents in condo complexes and inside rental homes
- Tripping hazards left in driveways, parking lots, and yards
- Slippery bathrooms and bathtubs
- Unmaintained stairs inside or outside of a rental property, loose handrails
- Deck or stair collapse
- Swimming pool dangers and drowning dangers
- Exposure to electrical hazards, burn risks, or CO poisoning inside an Airbnb home
- Exposure to germs and disease-carrying pests
- Accidents involving negligent security leaving guests in public places without protection
Who Can Be Held Liable If I’m Hurt at a Fort Lauderdale Vrbo Home?
Any vacation rental app and property owners can be liable after their negligence causes an accident inside or outside a home. Under Florida’s premises liability laws landlords, property owners, real estate companies, and property management companies are all legally required to show tenants and guests a “duty of care.” This is a right under premises liability law.
The duty of care means they must inspect properties for potential dangers and not add hazards as they work on homes. They must also monitor for the hazards that previous vacation guests may have left behind. When you are injured while staying in a Vrbo home due to negligence on the part of the property manager, you are empowered to seek financial help with any recovery costs and damages you endure.
Unfortunately, insurance companies and lawyers working on behalf of Vrbo and Airbnb will do their best to shed blame. They may say you were clumsy or reckless and that you caused your accident. They may claim your shoes were worn out and that’s why you fell. You’ll often need a skilled Fort Lauderdale Airbnb Accident Lawyer to fight on your behalf and show how these are ridiculous claims.
Does Airbnb and Vrbo Provide Insurance to Help Injured Guests?
Airbnb and Vrbo both back property owners who rent out properties on their sites with a million-dollar liability policy.
The coverage is there for guests who secure homes through the app automatically. Airbnb’s coverage applies right away, even if the property owner already has homeowners coverage.
Vrbo’s coverage is in addition to the property insurance an owner has. So victims could receive support from both policies.
What Should I Do After Suffering an Injury at an Airbnb Home?
If you are injured by a hazard in your rental home, contact 911 immediately and get an ambulance on the way. Get checked out and go to the emergency room if necessary.
If you are able to move and the scene is safe, you’ll want to secure as much evidence as possible before a property owner fixes or removes the obstacle. If you must leave for the hospital, ask someone with you or a helpful witness to gather some important details in the moments after your accident.
Try to gather or document these details:
- Take pictures. Show the hazard that left you injured and show any visible injuries.
- Speak up about what happened. Make sure a property manager and the vacation rental company know about your accident and injury.
- Keep evidence. Don’t throw away damaged personal property. And keep your shoes so you can show they didn’t cause your fall.
- Speak to witnesses. Get contact information so your Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer can contact them for testimony.
- See your doctor. Make an appointment with your physician, even if you’ve been to the emergency room. Pay attention to new pain that appears in the days after an accident. The shock of your fall can mask pain until the morning after. You might have a hairline fracture that can only be found by an X-ray. Get all injuries examined and follow the doctor’s instructions.
- Contact a Lawyer. Give your Cowen Edwards representative as much of a head start as possible on your case. Your lawyer will want to secure evidence while it’s still fresh. That will include testimony from witnesses. Your lawyer would also want to request any security footage that showed what happened before it was erased.
Compensation Available After a Fort Lauderdale Slip-And-Fall
A Fort Lauderdale premises liability lawyer would make sure any settlement you signed off on covered all ambulance fees and emergency room bills. Every medical bill and physical therapy invoice you receive in the weeks ahead should also be paid in full.
Your Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyer also demands support for some things you may not have thought could earn you additional compensation:
- Totals on current medical bills and estimates on the cost of care in the future.
- Long-term costs associated with a permanent physical disability.
- Pain and suffering. This includes the physical pain you endure and the emotional trauma you are put through. Support for a vacation turned into a nightmare.
- Loss of enjoyment of life as you must give up hobbies and family activities your injuries prevent you from participating in.
- Travel costs as you must find ways to get to and from doctor appointments while you’re injured.
- Money for property damage.
- Income and benefits you’ve lost while missing work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I speak to Airbnb lawyers and their insurance adjusters?
Only give basic information and then decline when they ask you to make a recorded statement. They hope that you say something that they can twist around to use as an excuse to deny your injury claim. Your attorney will handle all other contact with insurance companies and opposing lawyers.
How long do I have to file a Vrbo injury claim?
The Florida statute of limitations on filing a personal injury claim is two years from the date of your injury. You shouldn’t wait years to file. Evidence can be harder to find the longer you delay.
What if I can’t afford to pay for an attorney after a rental property accident?
You won’t need to have any money on hand to hire a Cowen Edwards lawyer. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our attorney fee comes out of the settlement money insurance companies provide to you.
Contact a Fort Lauderdale Premises Liability Accident Attorney
An accident that leaves you in pain and destroys your vacation should never be your burden to face alone. You can hold Airbnb, Vrbo, and property owners liable when their carelessness causes you to get hurt.
After an accident on someone else’s property, allow a Fort Lauderdale Airbnb Accident Injury Lawyer to handle the stress of seeking support, leaving you to focus on healing. Contact us to schedule a free consultation and tell us what happened. Let us know about your biggest hardships since the accident and then let us go to work holding an insurer fully liable.