Galveston Airbnb Liability After Guest Injuries | Who Can Be Held Liable in Texas?

Vacation rentals in Galveston offer a variety of accommodations for visitors to the beaches and for those seeking other activities in the city. Unfortunately, properties may also pose dangers to unsuspecting guests. Without the established protocols and oversight that Texas hotels usually offer, guests may encounter hazards on these properties that can lead to serious injury.

When your dream vacation results in a nightmarish accident, the Galveston attorneys at Carabin Shaw are here for you. We investigate Airbnb incidents to identify the cause and hold responsible parties accountable. We offer free case reviews in English or Spanish, and we are available 24/7. Call us at 1-800-862-1260, or contact us online now.

You expect your vacation rental to be a haven away from home, but that isn’t always the case. Hidden hazards might include:

• Broken steps or missing handrails
• Poor lighting in walkways
• Unsecured window screens or balconies
• Exposed or broken electrical cords
• Malfunctioning appliances
• Loose or fraying carpeting
• Inadequately maintained pools and hot tubs

These issues can lead to severe injuries that may impact your life for a few days to a few years or longer. A personal injury attorney will investigate your accident to identify the cause and the parties responsible for your accident and injuries.

Multiple parties may be responsible for the ownership and management of a vacation rental, making liability complex for your Airbnb injury lawyer in Texas. Responsible parties might include:

• The property owner
• The manager/host of the rental
• The vacation rental platform

Some accidents may involve multiple parties. For example, guests may report an issue with a property to the property manager and to the vacation rental platform that advertises the property. If the manager fails to repair the problem and the platform fails to warn guests about the potential risk, both parties may be liable for resulting accidents and injuries.

Under Texas’s proportionate responsibility rule, your lawyer could hold both parties liable for your injuries and seek damages in accordance with their portion of responsibility for your accident. Because these cases can be complicated, it is critical to contact an experienced legal team right away to investigate your accident and build a strong personal injury claim.

Under Texas liability law, property owners owe a different duty of care to visitors to their property based on which category visitors fall into:

• Invitees are paying guests and customers
• Licensees are social guests invited onto the property
• Trespassers enter the property without permission

Invitees are owed the highest duty of care. Property owners and managers must:

• Maintain a reasonably safe property
• Inspect the property regularly for possible hazards
• Promptly repair hazards that could cause injury
• Warn guests of hazards that can’t be repaired immediately

If a party has control over repairs and safety processes, knows about dangers, and fails to address them, your attorney may hold them liable for your accident and resulting injuries.

To prove liability in your personal injury claim, your lawyer must show the at-fault party’s negligence led directly to your accident. Negligence is the failure to exercise a duty of care that another reasonable individual would have done in a similar situation. The principle involves these elements:

• The responsible party owed you a duty of care
• The party breached its duty
• The breach directly caused your injuries

To prove negligence, your legal team will conduct a thorough investigation of your accident. If you can establish negligence, you can seek damages for your injuries, including medical bills, lost wages, and intangible pain and suffering.

An injury at a vacation rental can lead to extensive medical treatment, time off work, and other losses. Don’t try to navigate the complexities of a personal injury claim without professional assistance from our top Galveston attorneys. At Carabin Shaw, you pay nothing unless we win your case, and our law firm’s client reviews show our ability to maximize damages for accident victims like you. Contact us online or call toll-free at 1-800-862-1260 to schedule your FREE case review today!

For more information:

• Texas Statutes 33
• Texas Statutes 75
• Cornell Law School