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Jury Awards $20 Million to Family of Hotel Guest in Wrongful Death Suit

There is nothing more frustrating than losing a family member to a preventable accident and then find that the at-fault party is not being held responsible. Luckily a recent case proved that this is not always the case. Read on to find out how a family recovered $20 million in damages in a wrongful death case. If you have a similar case and need a legal opinion, reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.

The basics of the case

The case in question deals with a hotel guest who died after they were exposed to a deadly virus while in their hotel room. The owner of the hotel was deemed to have created a public safety risk by designing / constructing accommodations that were unsafe because they exposed the guest to the virus. The hotel was further not maintained, which further led to serious risk of harm and wrongful death. The hotel owner still rented rooms even though he knew that there was a vermin infestation.

The hotel had a specific level of responsibility

Hotels must do what they can to reasonably avoid exposing their guests to harmful or deadly vermin, bacteria, infestations, etc. In the case in question, housekeeping records, guest complaints, and maintenance reports all showed that the owner of the hotel knew about the dangerous condition and yet chose to do nothing about it.

In this case hidden dangers were not hidden

The hotel tried to argue that the “hidden dangers” in a hotel were something they could not do anything about. The truth is that the guest was exposed to Legionnaires’ disease, which is caused by a deadly bacteria. In this case, the bacteria grew in the water cooling tower of the hotel because it was not inspected and it was not maintained. The victim suffered symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, fever, chills, and muscle aches.

The jury was right in their award

At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas we believe that the jury made the right choice. We believe that it is up to the hotel to take every reasonable step to keep their guests as safe as possible. This includes training their employees, having written guidelines to ensure all staff is following the same rules, and quickly following up on potentially dangerous situations. The hotel in question did not do that and they were held accountable. This is the way the law is meant to work and is an example of justice working correctly.

If you have been injured or have lost a loved one due to a company or person acting negligently or recklessly then you should talk to a personal injury attorney sooner rather than later. At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas we can begin with a free legal consultation. If we decide to take your case, then it will be on a contingency basis, which means you do not pay a cent until we win your case for you. Contact us at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.