Is the Venue Liable for Damage If Injury Occurs At A Wedding?

Weddings are always the event of the year, especially for the bride and groom. It is their most planned milestone. Weddings are usually fun and festive. However, if you’ve ever seen the WE channel show Bridezilla, they can clearly get out of hand.

Sadly, not all weddings are that fortunate to be as perfect as they were planned. There are instances where accidents happen, and to add to the bad list, someone gets injured.

If you are someone who got injured at a wedding before, you might have wondered if you could have done or could do something to help you with your situation. Well, here are some facts to feed your curiosity.
 

Common Accidents At A Wedding

There are a lot of accidents that can happen while attending a wedding. Aside from the usual wedding drama - like cancellations, lost clothes, broken zippers and all that, there are life-threatening accidents that can occur at a wedding. 
 

Slips And Falls 

The most common hazard there is, slipping and falling. There are many incidents where guests will trip while on the dance floor or while walking in the hall. There are even times when the bride trips and falls because of the rose petals scattered on the floor. 

During the reception, when the food and drinks are out, it can be a mess - wet floors and spilled foods. These hazards can cause serious injuries. When some steps on these, they can slip and fall, leading to having bruises, wounds, sprains, or something worse like concussions or fractures. 
 

DUI Related Accidents

Most weddings involve a lot of alcoholic beverages. It is a party, after all. However, what is alarming is that some guests would drive even though they are drunk. This action can lead to severe accidents that can cause bodily injuries or property damages.    
 

Fights

You would think that a wedding will be peaceful, pristine and classy. But even weddings can have chaos. Injuries can also result from fights and brawls between guests. 

Most fights are caused by having too much to drink. Some women can also be competitive when it comes to the bouquet tossing segment; they will be fighting over it.  
 

Food Poisoning

To be honest, sometimes the food during the reception is what the guests are looking for aside from the wedding itself. So it is a bummer when the food is terrible, and gives the guests stomach issues.  

Food poisoning incidents can happen at weddings all the time. This will harm most if not all of the guests. If ever your reception style is fine dining, everyone will be served the same contaminated food, and thus, everyone gets affected. 
 

Burns

Some weddings have special additions like sparklers, fireworks or party poppers. These are great but can cause serious injuries when not handled properly. There are moments where guests are not careful when holding sparklers. The poppers or fireworks can malfunction and injure someone. 

Who Is Held Responsible?

The big question here is, can a venue be liable if these accidents happen during the wedding? Well, the answer is yes and no. 

Yes, if the venue’s management caused the accidents. Suppose the management failed to put signage on slippery floors or maintain their venue in good condition. In that case, they can be held liable for any damages if an injury occurs at a wedding. 

It is the venue management’s responsibility to ensure that all the equipment that will be used at the wedding is safe. Food served that is not up to health standards can be reported. 

Even DUI-related accidents during or immediately after the wedding can be blamed on them. If bartenders keep serving drinks to drunk guests, they can be liable for any damages caused by the intoxicated guests because they have contributed to the situation. 

If the guests’ carelessness caused the damages or injuries, the venue would not be held responsible. A person can not sue the venue for the injuries he or she has attained because of fights. Even if you slip and fall on the premises, the venue is not liable as long as they have placed caution signs and preventive measures for possible hazards. 

There are also times where both parties are at fault. For example, the table or chairs are not that sturdy, to begin with, and then a guest would stand on top of it for fun. Both the property owner and guest are partly to blame. 

Some states offer comparative fault laws. Comparative fault pertains to splitting the liability between the plaintiff (guest) and the defendant (venue). Since some accidents are not entirely the fault of management, this law is advantageous for venue owners.  
 

What Can You Do?

If your injuries occurred because of the venue’s shortcomings, then you can file a lawsuit against them. According to lawyer David Aylor, you may have a strong personal injury case if you were harmed due to someone else’s negligence.

When these incidents happen, plaintiffs are usually afraid and ashamed of suing the couple. You would not be filing a complaint against them but the venue owner. This is assuming that the one at fault is the venue management. 

Property owners also need to protect themselves from these types of situations. The venue should have premises liability insurance. Also, always have a well-kept venue and provide safe services to customers. 

They should adhere to all safety, sanitary, and health protocols. Also, ensure that bartenders will be disciplined in serving guests. They should be able to gauge the drunkenness of those to whom they serve drinks to. 

Weddings should be fun and not stressful. However, a lot of accidents can happen in one. If you received an injury because of the unsafe venue, you have the right to press charges. Make sure that your injuries are caused by the negligence of the property’s owner. You can also sue the third party who is liable, like caterers and equipment providers.

Remember that these accidents can be prevented. It is the responsibility of the venue’s management to provide a safe place for the wedding. However, as guests, you also have the responsibility to behave well, be careful, and not damage the venue. 

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