Victoria Hotel Guests Face Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Risk

50 miles inland off the warm Gulf Coast, Victoria, Texas has become a growing destination for tourists seeking small town charm with all the luxuries of a big city. It’s no surprise that Victoria, Texas is seeing an uptick in visitors since the city invested in building and attractions like the Texas Zoo, the Nave Museum, the Deleon Plaza, and many other historic Texan experiences. With all of this prosperity, it is shocking to learn that hotels in Victoria, Texas knowingly put their guests at risk every time they enter a hotel room.

Victoria hotel guests face carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning risk at no fault of their own. Most hotel rooms in other states have a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector on the ceiling. These devices protect you from possible fire and carbon monoxide leaks. Texas law, however, doesn’t require hotels to install CO detectors in every hotel room.

Today, Texas law still stands firm on the issue of protecting businesses from this supposed burden of expense. Meanwhile, many Victoria injury lawyers receive frantic calls from hotel guests who want to know if they have experienced CO poisoning. The fact is, if you stayed in Victoria, you risk being poisoned without your knowledge.

When CO leaks, it is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. Known as the “silent killer,” CO is usually only detected when it is too late. After exposure, you have little time before the gas starts to affect your basic motor functions.

Depending on how long the exposure was, CO poisoning could cause nausea, dizziness, immune disorder, seizure, coma, major damage to internal organs, or death. Because the onset of these symptoms are similar to the common cold or flu, many hotel guests lose vital hours being misdiagnosed.

Lawyers have advocated for the rights of Victoria hotel guests who face carbon monoxide poisoning risk, yet Texas law hasn’t changed. Victoria accident attorneys estimate thousands of guests could be exposed to CO poisoning and not even know they have the right to be compensated for their injuries.

According to the Department of Tourism in Victoria, Texas, the industry has made $137 million from tourism alone. Attorneys estimate the cost of having CO detectors in Victoria’s hotel rooms could be covered by a small fraction this figure. At only $100 per device, CO detectors are cheap compared to the amount of damage CO poisoning does to a person’s life.

CO is found in almost all appliances like gas ranges, water heaters, and refrigerators. Should a hotel’s indoor pool water heater start leaking CO, the gas could have hours to seep into guests’ rooms without notice. Lawyers at Carabin Shaw see no reason why the thriving tourism industry in Victoria, Texas will not pay $100 per room to secure the safety of its guests.

Rather than go through the court system alone, many tourists have found comfort and success in having a attorney by their side after experiencing CO poisoning at a hotel.

Carbon Monoxide poisoning is preventable if you have a CO detector. Hotels in Victoria, Texas refuse to install these devices even though they know they are risking their hotel guests’ well-being. Meanwhile, Victoria hotel guests face carbon monoxide poisoning risk and the burden that comes with these injuries —lengthy hospital stays, an impaired nervous system, long-term heart conditions, or death—alone.

The carbon monoxide poisoning lawyers at Carabin Shaw understand that carbon monoxide is not the problem. Victoria’s hotels and Texas law are at fault, and innocent tourists are paying the price.

Let an attorney help you right away. Call Carabin Shaw to schedule a free initial consultation. Reach us in Victoria, Texas at 361-485-1400 or dial toll-free at 800-862-1260.