The family of a 76-year-old Kentucky man was awarded over $2 million this month after his death from a burning incident in a motel shower, according to news outlets.
The incident happened in 2021 while the man was on a business trip. When he got in the shower, hot water estimated in the lawsuit to be 150 degrees Fahrenheit scalded him. The man fell and was unable to get up until coworkers who heard him screaming rushed into the bathroom to help. The man had third-degree burns following the incident and died seven months later after spending most of his time in and out of hospitals. Third-degree burns affect the deeper layers of the skin and burn down to the fatty tissue. They require immediate medical attention.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the grieving family did not specify what caused the water to come out at 150 degrees. A judgment filed earlier this month stated that the hotel failed to properly inspect and maintain the property in a reasonably safe condition.
A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Bulletin reported that most burn and scald injuries and deaths happen to children under 5 years old and the elderly. To avoid this, CPSC officials urged users to lower the temperature on their water heaters to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes approximately two seconds to get a third-degree burn from 150-degree Fahrenheit water. Third-degree burns may even occur when the water temperature has been lowered to 120 degrees Fahrenheit if an individual is exposed for over five minutes.
Leesfield & Partners
With offices in Orlando, Miami and Key West, areas that see millions of tourists annually, Leesfield & Partners has maintained a strong resort torts practice for 48 years. In fact, in South Florida, where the law firm has its landmark building, tourism and resort travel have been among the area’s largest revenue and tax sources. With more and more tourists trickling in every year for vacations at Miami Beach hotels or on their way to cruise ships leaving out of Port Miami comes an increase in possible injuries or fatal incidents at the hands of negligent corporations. It is the business and property owner’s responsibility to maintain their property in a condition that is safe for patrons and customers, protecting them from dangers and providing clear warnings about possible hazards. A resort torts case may involve cruise ship injuries, slips and falls, and everything in between.
One Leesfield & Partners case involving a married couple from Germany resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement after a gas leak caused an explosion at the resort in the Dominican Republic where they were staying. The two were severely burned in the incident and the wife tragically died after being transported to a hospital in Miami.
Another case handled by the firm involved that of a woman staying at a Florida hotel where she contracted Legionnaires’ Disease. The woman routinely used the hotel’s hot tub during her stay and presented with symptoms the day she checked out from the hotel. Three years earlier at the same hotel, the Florida Department of Health had identified another case of the disease that infected a man in his 60s. Due to her exposure and diagnosis, the woman suffered an acute kidney injury, and regular bouts of pain and fatigue.
Eric Shane, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Lawyer, was able to secure a $300,000 settlement for the woman in that case. In Monroe County, a man represented by the firm was staying at a rental property when he fell down non-code-compliant stairs and suffered a severe ankle fracture. Due to the stairs varying in height and a loose boat oar as a makeshift railing, the man was unable to catch himself before he fell. Evan Robinson, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, was able to secure a $350,000 award for the man in that case.
The experience of Leesfield & Partners attorneys representing cruise ship accident victims is extensive. From a multi-million medical malpractice cases that resulted in a child’s multi-digital and foot amputation to a case of a boy who dove for an out of bounds ball while playing basketball on board a cruise ship and sustained a catastrophic head injury when he crashed into a steel unpadded grommet. Attorneys with the firm in that case secured a multi-million dollar settlement for the boy’s family.