Recent Marriott Hotel Accidents

With almost 200,000 guest rooms globally, Marriott International is the third-largest hotel chain in the world and the parent company of well-known brands like Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, Westin Hotels, Courtyard, Sheraton, and many more. Owning and managing such an extensive product line involves extensive oversight to ensure the safety of employees, visitors, and guests. 

As one of the world’s leading law firms that represents clients across the globe who have been injured while vacationing aboard cruise ships or at hotels and resorts, our attorneys at Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. keep apprised of recent cases involving accidents and torts occurring on hotel properties. Our law firm boasts hundreds of appearances as expert guests on major news shows, as well the honor of being named “Best Law Firms”® by US News & World Report since 2016, and 3 attorneys named to “Best Lawyers”®. With these awards and over 165 years of combined experience, choosing our firm to represent your Marriott hotel accident case is a simple decision.

The following incidents occurred in the past few years on properties owned by Marriott International. Availability of information is sometimes limited due to the stage of the legal case or the conditions of the settlement. If you have been injured on a Marriott property, call the hotel injury lawyers at Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., and speak with one of our top-tier hotel injury attorneys. 

Accidents Occurring on Property Owned by Marriott International or its Subsidiaries

The following incidents all occurred on Marriott properties. Not all of these incidents are the subject of currently pending litigation. 

California Teen Attacked By Crocodile At Marriott Resort in Mexico

When 18-year-old Kiana Hummel and a friend took a vacation at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, the last thing she could have ever expected was to be attacked by a crocodile, but that is exactly what happened. After the attack, she was unable to walk due to lacerations and bite damage on both of her legs, but the staff provided her with unacceptable treatment and failed to get her to a medical professional promptly. Stated Hummel: “They literally just rinsed my legs off with bottles of water, put bandages on me and left me for four hours,” as she shouted and begged to be transported to a hospital.

In addition to the negligent response to her medical issues, Hummel claimed that the signage, while present, was inadequate to provide a proper warning about the dangers of crocodiles in the area. Marriott responded to a media request by stating that we can confirm that appropriate signage, as well as night patrolling and red flags were and are properly in place,” which is to be expected from any entity trying to avoid a personal injury lawsuit.

Working with experienced personal injury attorneys like the award-winning team at Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. is one of the best ways to fight back against a major corporation’s motivations to avoid litigation or costly settlements at all costs. Without the support of a proven legal professional, you will be left to fight for your compensation against a team of defense attorney who are focused solely on settling your case as quickly as possible, as inexpensively as possible — all while you should be focusing that energy on healing and moving forward from your traumatic experience.

7-Year-Old Nearly Drowns in Marriott Pool in Bronx, NY

When checking into a hotel, nobody can imagine that their stay will be marred by their child suffering serious— or even fatal — injuries, but that is exactly what happened at a Long Island Marriott in early 2022. Katlyn Pineda, a 7-year-old from the Bronx, was found unresponsive in a pool by her mother at the Marriott Melville Long Island hotel in January of 2022, and was rushed to Plainview Hospital in critical condition before being transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens.

Pineda was found by her mother, and details are not clear about how the child ended up in the pool or why she was not properly supervised, but depending on a number of factors, there are many different ways that the hotel chain may be liable for this unfortunate accident. Personal injury law is highly complicated, and trying to navigate these laws on your own while going up against a team of defense attorneys can be difficult at best, if not impossible. This is why working with an award-winning team of personal injury attorneys like ours at Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. is one of the best ways to fight for what you truly deserve.

Three-Year-Old Nearly Drowns in Courtyard by Marriott Pool in Montvale, NJ

July 19, 2020 – While visiting the Courtyard by Marriott located in Montvale, a family member pulled a drowning three-year-old boy from the swimming pool. Fortunately, Dr. John Blundell of Buffalo was on scene to provide CPR. A nearby officer from Montvale PD administered oxygen to the toddler and EMTs transported him to Valley Hospital in nearby Ridgewood. While it is unclear whether or not there was a lifeguard on duty at the Montvale Courtyard, many times the hotel attempts to place the burden of responsibility on accompanying adults. These types of lax policies and procedures may expose the hotel to significant liability. In many instances, the hotel fails to employ a lifeguard to avoid the additional expense. Unfortunately, that often means weak swimmers, those with health issues, and children may find themselves in peril with no assistance outside assistance. Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. have decades of experience with swimming pool drowning accidents, and we effectively forced several of the major cruise line to  employ life guards aboard their cruise ships because of the wrongful death drowning  cases we have handled. 

Woman Dies in Apparent Suicide at Birmingham, AL Sheraton

March 8, 2020 – In a tragic suicide that occurred in front of witnesses, 33-year-old Katherine R. Fiorentino lunged off of the 17th-floor balcony of her room at the Birmingham Sheraton. Hotel security had responded to a disturbance in her room because she was acting erratically and had thrown a cellphone over the balcony. They called the police, but the security guards made contact with Fiorentino before Birmingham PD arrived. Upon contact, Fiorentino ran to the balcony and plunged to her death. Factors that could impact a potential wrongful death suit would include the level of training that the hotel security staff received with regard to suicidal and emotionally distraught subjects, the height of the balcony railing, and any other measures that the hotel may have taken to prevent this tragedy.    

16-Year-Old Girl is Shot to Death at Indianapolis JW Marriott

November 21, 2020 – Police responded to the JW Marriott in response to a report of gunshots. When they arrived, the officers located and entered the room to find 16-year-old Karla Vasquez dead with an apparent gunshot wound. A 17-year-old male was arrested for charges of reckless homicide. One witness who was in the room said she heard a gun cock and fire, killing Vasquez. Because this is a recent crime involving a juvenile suspect, much of the information surrounding the case hasn’t been released. Whether or not the juvenile victim and suspect were guests of the hotel and whether or not the hotel was aware of their presence will likely  have some bearing in a wrongful death suit if the family chooses to pursue legal action against the JW Marriott. There is also the question of where the minor suspect obtained the firearm.  Nonetheless, this type of preventable incident would typically be considered a negligent security case, and we are intimately familiar with the issues presented in such cases.  

Marriott and their subsidiaries

How to Know You Have a Legal Case Against a Hotel

Naturally, it’s not feasible for the in-house staff of a hotel or resort to know what occurs in every guest room.  As such, not all hotel accidents lead to a viable personal injury case. Nonetheless, there is a well established duty of care that applies to hotel chains that includes taking reasonable steps to prevent such incidents and taking reasonable steps in the event that such an incident occurs. Failure to take such steps can lead to liability against the hotel owner. Therefore, if you’ve been injured on a hotel property, you may be entitled to recover damages. Contact the attorneys at Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman to discuss your case. With over 165 years of combined experience and a long list of awards including “Best Law Firms”® by US News & World Report since 2016 and 3 attorneys named to “Best Lawyers”®, working with our firm is an easy choice for anyone looking for highly skilled legal representation. We offer free consultations and there is no obligation. The statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits vary depending on the location of the property, so call 877-233-1238 at your earliest convenience.