Austin Hotel Liability for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

In spring of 2018, the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, Texas opened under the cloud of a disturbing event that transpired just one month earlier. Seven floors were evacuated and several workers hospitalized as the result of a dangerous carbon monoxide leak. While the hotel eventually opened as planned, it gives rise to valid concerns about the safety of guests staying in hotels in our city and throughout the country.

Over the last several years, hundreds of hotel and motel guests have fallen victim to carbon monoxide poisoning. Some of those affected have even lost their lives. The state is currently working to address this issue, but it still means the health of traveling families who are staying in hotels and motels is at risk. When tragedy strikes, an Austin hotel’s liability for carbon monoxide poisoning makes owners and operators directly and legally responsible.

When you are on the road with your family and choose to say in a hotel or motel, you just want to be sure you have a place to rest and relax. That ability to rest and relax depends on your ability to trust that the hotel building, management, and staff are meeting a reasonable standard of safety requirements. Unfortunately, records show that hotels, motels, and resorts are prone to doing the least amount of work required by law, which is why many of these businesses have not taken necessary steps to install carbon monoxide detectors and alarms in their buildings.

Such an apparent lack of concern can rightly leave guests feeling worried about their safety; unfortunately, the lack of concern also leaves guests hospitalized, or in the most tragic cases, dead. In one USA TODAY analysis, investigators found that 170 hotel guests had been hospitalized and 8 more had died over a three-year period as a result of acute carbon monoxide poisoning. An earlier study over a 25-year period recorded a total 772 poisonings, 27 of whom didn’t survive.

The danger presented by hotel negligence cannot be understated and cannot be ignored.

No one should spend money to stay in a hotel or motel room and unexpectedly get complimentary carbon monoxide poisoning in the bargain. Victims are not without options; personal injury claims can provide a path to justice and recover, and Austin accident attorneys are available to help those who have been injured by hotel negligence file them against liable parties.

If you’ve been the victim of a gas leak during a hotel stay, an attorney can help demonstrate an Austin hotel’s liability for carbon monoxide poisoning and hold them legally responsible for compensating your losses. Many hotels and motels are run independently, and without the law to force their hand, most have little motivation to purchase and install the equipment necessary to detect harmful gases like carbon monoxide. Unfortunately, these shortcuts come at the expense of their guests’ safety.

There is little to doubt an Austin hotel’s liability for carbon monoxide poisoning when it occurs, but taking a business to court can be a challenge, and it’s definitely something anyone shouldn’t endeavor to do alone. In any personal injury claim, it’s always in your best interest to enlist the help of an experience attorney to review your case and advocate for your rights.

The Austin injury lawyers of Carabin Shaw understand the trust families place when staying in a hotel or motel in Austin, Texas. Part of that trust is the expectation the room comes without risk of injury or death. If you or your family have been victims of such an incident, our attorneys stand ready to hold the guest hotel industry accountable for their actions.

Call our office in Austin today and schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys. We will meet with you to discuss the details of your case and any medical treatment you’ve received. If you’re still dealing with the after-effects of poisoning, we’ll provide the legal assistance you need as you continue seeking treatment. It’s important to know that all of our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means we don’t charge any of our clients until we win their case.

To schedule you free consultation and get the answers you need, call the attorneys of Carabin Shaw in Austin today by dialing 1.800.862.1260.