Legal Question in Personal Injury in Missouri
I recently fell at a casino/hotel. I tripped on a rug that was slightly elevated from the tile floor beneath it ( other rugs in the hotel are set level with the tile... the tile and rug are even ). I fell as I was walking up to the front desk to check in. The hotel showed no compassion. No one mentioned filling out an accident report. Management did not address me. The front desk clerks stood and looked at me. A guest came up and said that they had called an EMT. I managed to get up and hobble to the front desk. Nothing was said by the hotel staff. They acted like nothing had happened. I hoped to walk off the fall. The next morning I awoke unable to put any weight on my foot. I asked for a wheel chair and asked to file an accident report. The same EMT came up. He checked my leg and asked me to sign papers. I signed a paper saying that I was checked. But I did not sign a release. I spent the next morning at urgent care. At check out I told the manager on duty and again... no compassion or apology. I went to an orthopedic surgeon when I got home. Only to find out that the knee that I fell on had arthritis, unknown to me. The doctor said that the fall advanced the need for knee replacement. Suggesting without the fall...I could have gone on for years. At my age, the doctor said he hated to do a knee replacement this young... suggesting I would more than likely need 2 replacements since the are only expected to last 20 years.
The hotel visit was a Mystery Shopping evaluation that I was performing. I have been unable to do anything since the fall. I am using a walker and spend the majority of time in bed. We have stairs in my house and I am unable to safely use them since I am at home alone. I have lost opportunities for shopping evaluations which effect my monthly income and had to decline a job offer that I received on the weekend of the fall.
Just wondering... Do I have a case/ claim? Is it worth pursuing?
Thanks...
Vicki Roberts
1 Answer from Attorneys
Thank you for your inquiry. You very well may have a claim worth pursuing. However, it is unlikely that the Casino will pay you voluntarily. You will probably have to hire an attorney to build up the case and take it to trial if necessary. I know it sounds self-serving, but I would be happy to meet with you to determine whether my firm could help. We work on these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you pay nothing and we take a fee only if we get a recovery for you.
Also, you may have a claim available under the workers compensation statute. This would be another avenue to explore to get you a recovery.
Related Questions & Answers
Looking for something else?
10,200 active attorneys ready to answer your legal questions today.
Featured Attorneys
Earn additional revenue and grow your business.
