Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Anaheim Hotel

The parents of a 3-year-old girl, who fell to her death at the Embassy Suites in Anaheim during a vacation to Disneyland, have filed a lawsuit against the hotel. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, Jesus Martinez Avila and Alejandra Sandoval Duran have filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court stating that negligence on the part of the owners and property managers of the Embassy Suites led to the death of their daughter.

Lawsuit Alleges Unsafe Conditions

The family from Las Vegas was staying at the hotel during a July 2015 trip when their daughter, Stephanie, fell from a fifth-story walkway in an indoor courtyard. Family members said the girl got out of the family’s hotel room while her mother was in the shower. The rest of the family was sitting downstairs in the courtyard and the child climbed over the balcony railing in an apparent attempt to reach them. The death was ruled “accidental” by the Orange County Coroner.

Investigators looked into whether the girl, at the time, squeezed through the railing bars or climbed over the railing. Officials have not been able to determine exactly what happened. In a lawsuit, attorneys for the family cited unspecified “dangerous, defective and unsafe” conditions at the hotel. The hotel is owned by Urban Commons Frontera and UCF 1 and managed by Brighton Management.

Wrongful Death Claims

In California, a wrongful death claim is a civil action that is brought in case of a death that is caused by negligence or wrongdoing. Wrongful death claims are usually brought by family members of deceased individuals such as a spouse, children, parents, etc. While a wrongful death lawsuit, when successfully presented, provides monetary compensation for victims to cover expenses such as medical and funeral costs, lost future income and pain and suffering, it also hold the at-fault parties accountable for their negligence or wrongdoing.

A facility such as a hotel is required to maintain its premises in such a manner that it is safe for guests and visitors. When an injury or death occurs as a result of the hotel’s failure to safeguard the safety of its guest and visitors, the owners and/or the management can be held liable. Our California wrongful death attorneys hope that this lawsuit brings about safety measures that would help prevent such heartbreaking tragedies in the future.