Legal Ramifications of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Corpus Hotels

Texas is one of the most geographically and culturally diverse states in the country. It boasts sweeping hills, open plains, extensive forests, and a vibrant coastal region, which is home to Corpus Christi, Texas. The hotel and motel industry in Corpus Christi, Texas employs more than 3,000 of the city’s residents, and tourism brings in over $1 billion per year. However, every time tourists visit Corpus Christi on business or for vacation, they run a risk of carbon monoxide exposure in hotel rooms—especially in hotels that contain appliances that burn fossil fuels.

Common sources of carbon monoxide fumes include boilers, water heaters, and furnaces. Furthermore, because hotels often have interconnected air ducts and ventilation systems, a carbon monoxide leak can affect more than one room, and thus multiple guests' safety.

Exposure to harmful amounts of carbon monoxide can cause headaches, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, and sometimes even death. While many people assume that carbon monoxide poisoning is rare, it occurs all too frequently. In fact, carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of poisoning fatality in both children and the elderly. Additionally, because carbon monoxide is completely odorless, tasteless, and invisible to the human eye, a person may not know he or she is affected or poisoned until it is too late.

Unfortunately, the state of Texas has very little legislation about culpability in a carbon monoxide poisoning cases. This means that an expert attorney, who understands the laws and rights surrounding hotel tenants' safety, will need to help determine culpability. To understand the legal ramifications of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Corpus hotel, it is important to first understand the law.

Under Texas statute, daycare centers, and family homes are required to include a basic carbon monoxide detector mechanism. Regrettably, though, Texas lawmakers have not shown concern about these concerns in hotels and motels.

The property holder of a hotel, motel, or other temporary stay location has an understood and inherent ‘duty of care’ with all his/her tenants. To understand the legal ramifications of carbon monoxide poisoning cases in Corpus hotels, we can look at the precedent laid by another state with a significant lack of carbon monoxide poisoning regulation: New Mexico.

In New Mexico, there are documented cases of landlords being held to this standard duty of care, but not beyond it. For example, if there is a gas leak endangers tenants and the landlord is unaware of the leak and can prove due diligence (e.g., proper care of pipes and vents, routine maintenance checks, etc.), the law does not consider him or her inherently culpable.

Because it is still a fairly unexplored legal territory in Texas, an accomplished lawyer can make or break your chance to pursue full compensation for your injuries. A good attorney can be the difference between suffering pain in silence and speaking for justice and restitution.

If you or someone you love has inhaled damaging amounts of carbon monoxide in a Corpus Christi, Texas hotel or motel, you deserve every chance to obtain full compensation for your damages. Luckily, the Corpus Christi accident attorneys from Carabin Shaw have more than 20 years of experience in all forms of personal injury cases.

The Carabin Shaw carbon monoxide poisoning lawyers in Corpus Christi promise to aggressively represent your case. Our firm offers every potential client a free initial consultation to discuss the best options moving forward and securing redress. We will not charge you if we do not win your case.

You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by contacting one of our Corpus Christi attorneys today. You can reach a Carabin Shaw lawyer in Corpus Christi, Texas at 361.444.1111 or toll-free at 1.800.862.1260.