Hotel Security Attorneys in Chicago, Illinois
Travelers expect their hotel or motel to be a safe, home-like environment while they are on the road. Hospitality companies that operate hotels and motels in Illinois owe a duty to their guests to provide them safe lodgings, free of criminal threats.
Unfortunately, many hotel and motel operators cut corners on security, despite being aware of the potential for violence on their premises. Their negligence can result in hotel and motel guests becoming the victims of battery, strong-arm robbery, sexual assault, rape or even murder.
The premises liability attorneys of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. are exceptionally knowledgeable about the legal responsibilities and liabilities of hotels and motels that provide inadequate security for their customers, resulting in criminal violence.
For a free consultation, contact our Illinois injury lawyers today in Chicago or Waukegan at 312-372-1227.
Criminal Attacks at Illinois Hotels and Motels
Victims of criminal attacks at Illinois hotels and motels are entitled to recover financial compensation for their physical and psychological injuries in situations where the hotel or motel company negligently failed to provide adequate security measures.
The key to a hotelier’s liability for a third-party criminal act is whether the crime was reasonably foreseeable. The hotel or motel operator must take reasonable security measures to protect guests from anticipated threats. What qualifies as “reasonable” depends on a number of factors, including the history of criminal activity at the particular establishment or in the neighborhood.
If a hotel or motel has been the scene of numerous robberies or violent attacks — or if the surrounding area is particularly crime-prone — the operator would be required to do more to protect its guests than would a hotel or motel that has seen little crime and is located in a safer part of town.
It could be considered inadequate security if a hotel or motel operator failed to:
- Limit access to the building by keeping doors locked during certain hours;
- Monitor surveillance cameras in parking lots, garages, hallways and other public areas;
- Refrain from verbally announcing your room number when you check in (saying your room number aloud is an invitation for someone lurking to target you individually);
- Perform background checks on employees, particularly those with access to key cards;
- Limit the access to master key cards;
- Provide functioning locks on guest rooms and buildings;
- Provide sufficient lighting in all public areas;
- Maintain a security staff on site; and
- Remove guests or visitors who are intoxicated or violent.
If you or someone you love has suffered a personal injury because a hotel or motel operator failed to provide adequate security, you could have a premises liability case against the hotelier. It is important for you to consult a competent Illinois negligent security lawyer such as the ones at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. as soon as possible after the incident so the lawyer can evaluate your case and determine if an investigation is warranted. Evidence of negligent security can quickly disappear.
You could be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, psychological trauma, pain and suffering and more if it is shown that the hotel or motel operator was negligent in failing to provide adequate security.
Contact Our Illinois Injury Lawyers Today
To learn more about our qualifications and experience, or to learn about the merits of a case concerning an injury caused by negligent security at a hotel or motel, please contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. today for a free, no obligation consultation. Our firm has convenient office locations in downtown Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois. We also have a network of lawyers across the nation to assist you with your case. Contact us today at 312-372-1227.
