Short Answer

In North Carolina, you prove a hotel’s responsibility by showing it failed to use reasonable care to keep the premises safe, it knew or should have known about the dangerous shower door (or created the hazard), and that this failure caused your injuries. Evidence often includes incident reports, photos/video, maintenance and inspection records, prior complaints, and medical documentation. Act quickly to preserve evidence and track the three-year time limit to file a negligence lawsuit.

Understanding the Problem

You’re asking whether, in North Carolina, a hotel guest can prove the hotel is responsible for a glass shower door that shattered. The guest wants to hold the hotel (the property owner/operator) liable for negligence—specifically, failing to inspect, maintain, or warn about a defective door—after the door broke and caused injuries. One key fact here is that outpatient medical care began a month after the incident.

Apply the Law

Under North Carolina premises liability law, hotels owe guests (invitees) a duty to use reasonable care to keep the property reasonably safe. To recover, you must establish: (1) duty and breach, usually by proving the hotel failed to reasonably inspect, maintain, or warn; (2) notice—either the hotel knew or should have known about the condition, or it created it; (3) causation linking the defect to your injuries; and (4) damages. Claims are filed in the North Carolina General Court of Justice (District or Superior Court depending on the amount in controversy). North Carolina generally applies a three-year deadline to file negligence claims, measured from the date of injury, though specific statutes can vary by claim type.

Key Requirements

• Duty to invitees: Hotels must use reasonable care to keep guest areas, including bathrooms and fixtures, reasonably safe.
• Hazardous condition: The shower door was defective, damaged, improperly installed, or inadequately maintained.
• Notice or creation: The hotel had actual notice (knew), constructive notice (should have known through inspections), or created the hazard through installation/repair choices.
• Breach of reasonable care: The hotel failed to inspect, maintain, repair, or warn about the dangerous condition.
• Causation and damages: The defect caused your injuries, and you have medical records and other documentation of harm.
• Limited inference in rare cases: If shower doors do not typically shatter absent negligence and the hotel controlled maintenance, a limited inference may support breach—but it does not replace proof.

What the Statutes Say

• North Carolina gives most negligence claims a three-year filing deadline, typically running from the injury date; the exact statute can vary by claim type.
• Civil cases are filed in the North Carolina General Court of Justice; whether a case is filed in District or Superior Court depends on the amount sought.

Analysis

Apply the Rule to the Facts: The hotel owed you a duty as a guest. If the shower door was damaged, improperly installed, or inadequately maintained—and the hotel knew or should have known through reasonable inspections—that supports breach. Your cuts and later complications can satisfy causation and damages with medical records, although the one-month gap before treatment is something the hotel may challenge; consistent treatment notes and photos help connect the injury to the incident.

Process & Timing

1. Who files: You (the injured guest). Where: File a civil Complaint in the North Carolina General Court of Justice in the county where the hotel is located. What: A drafted Complaint (no pre-printed form) plus a Civil Summons; serve the hotel or its registered agent. When: Aim to investigate and preserve evidence immediately; the general lawsuit deadline for negligence is three years from the injury.
2. Send a written preservation letter to the hotel ASAP asking it to keep the door (or remaining parts), surveillance video, incident reports, housekeeping logs, maintenance/repair records, prior complaints, and vendor invoices. Request copies of the incident report and insurance information; investigate the door’s make/model and any prior issues.
3. If settlement does not resolve the claim, file suit before the deadline. After filing and service, the case proceeds through discovery, where you request maintenance records, videos, prior complaints, and take depositions. The expected outcome is a judgment or settlement; if you win, the court enters a final judgment.

Exceptions & Pitfalls

• Contributory negligence: If you are found even slightly at fault (for example, horseplay with the door), North Carolina law can bar recovery; careful facts and evidence matter.
• No notice: If the hotel had no actual or constructive notice of a latent defect it did not create, liability is harder to prove; prior complaints, visible wear, or poor inspection practices can show constructive notice.
• Open and obvious hazards: If a danger was obvious and avoidable, the hotel may have a defense; defective tempered glass often is not obvious.
• Delay in treatment: A gap before first medical visit can invite causation challenges; use contemporaneous photos, witness statements, and provider notes to connect symptoms to the incident.
• Spoliation risks: If evidence (the door, video) disappears, courts can impose sanctions or instruct juries; send a preservation letter early to reduce this risk.
• Third-party installer: The hotel may point to a vendor, but it still has an ongoing duty to maintain reasonably safe premises.

Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney

If you're dealing with injuries from a shattered hotel shower door and need to prove the hotel’s responsibility, our firm has experienced attorneys who can help you understand your options and timelines. Call us today.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about North Carolina law based on the single question stated above. It is not legal advice for your specific situation and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws, procedures, and local practice can change and may vary by county. If you have a deadline, act promptly and speak with a licensed North Carolina attorney.