Texas Laws on Hotel and Motel Carbon Monoxide Detectors

San Antonio, Texas, is a city rich with history and culture. The friendly people, delicious food, and beautiful scenery make it a popular destination for vacationers. Casandra Matej, the CEO and founder of Visit San Antonio, reports that the city hosts over 34 million visitors annually. To accommodate the increasing demand for lodging within city limits, San Antonio added 16,700 new hotel rooms between 2005 and 2016.

A major concern, however, is that many of these hotels do not protect their guests as well as travelers expect. Because Texas law does not compel hotels and motels to install carbon monoxide detectors in guest rooms, people who visit our state risk carbon monoxide exposure. If you or someone you love has been adversely affected by Texas laws on hotel and motel carbon monoxide detectors, the attorneys at Carabin Shaw promise to fight for justice on your behalf.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. It is formed by incomplete carbon combustion, and the fumes produced by cars, fireplaces, generators, furnaces, stoves, and grills all contain carbon monoxide.

Even though the State Fire Marshal of Texas provides information on carbon monoxide prevention in the home, there is very little regulation when it comes to monitoring carbon monoxide in hotels. Because of this fact, guests staying in San Antonio, Texas, need to be aware of and the causes, symptoms, and risks of carbon monoxide.

In less severe cases, exposure to carbon monoxide may make a person ill. In extreme cases, however, carbon monoxide is deadly. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that about 50,000 people visit hospitals every year for carbon monoxide poisoning, and at least 430 people die from prolonged exposure.

The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning mimic the flu, so it is important to be on the lookout for:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Muscle weakness
• Headaches
• Chest pain
• Confusion

Those who have been drinking alcohol or have gone to sleep may die from carbon monoxide exposure before they exhibit or register any symptoms. The San Antonio injury lawyers at Carabin Shaw can readily manage your case if you encounter any of these symptoms as a result of suspected carbon monoxide exposure.

The failure of hotels to provide functioning carbon monoxide detectors has had disastrous consequences, and any lawyer can tell you that hotel guests in Texas are not immune to the damage.

In January 2018 The Charlotte Observer reported on the deaths of Patricia and David Ivie, who were staying at a Best Western in the panhandle town of Perryton. Two pool heaters below the Ivies’ room produced massive amounts of carbon monoxide that ventilated to the floor above.

Though there was a carbon monoxide detector in the Ivies’ room, the alarm was not loud enough to wake them after they succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms while they slept. The Ivies weren’t discovered until morning. By that time, they had sustained significant damage to their brains, kidneys, livers, and hearts.

The Ivies were airlifted to a hospital in Amarillo, but they were never the same again. Patricia was unable to walk or feed herself, and David suffered from terrifying hallucinations. Within four months the Ivies died as a result of their injuries.

If you or someone you care about has experienced a similar tragedy in San Antonio, Texas, you deserve to be heard by an attorney who cares.

Letting hotels decide whether or not to install quality carbon monoxide detectors has clearly left the consumer at risk. To increase safety across the board, Texas laws on hotel and motel carbon dioxide detectors need to be reformed. Until that time comes, however, the San Antonio accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw will continue to advocate for your protection.

We promise that your first consultation will be free , and we will not charge you unless we win your case. To speak with a lawyer in San Antonio, Texas, please call 210-222-2288 or toll-free at 800-862-1260.