Premises Liability / International Slip and Fall

Our client, a Miami-Dade County resident, booked a vacation rental property in Mexico through a booking made in Miami-Dade County, Florida. During his stay, he slipped on the pool's only exit stairway -- a structure that lacked railings, lacked non-skid material on the steps, and had no warning signs. He fell forward and braced himself with his right hand, which was holding a glass at the time. The glass shattered on impact, causing deep lacerations that severed the flexor tendons of multiple fingers. Emergency surgery was performed abroad that same day. The surgery failed. Upon returning to Miami-Dade County, our client's hand surgeon confirmed through MRI and physical examination that none of the original tendon repairs were intact. Mausner Group pursued the vacation rental platform and the property owner. The case settled for $540,000.

The liability case was straightforward -- a pool stairway without railings, without non-skid surfaces, and without any warning signage is a foreseeable hazard, particularly in a rental property marketed to vacationers. Video evidence documented the dangerous condition. The damages case was built around the compounding nature of the harm -- a bad accident made worse by inadequate emergency care abroad, leaving our client facing multiple additional surgeries with an uncertain prognosis.