Bed bugs infest North Carolina homes, apartments, hotels and other places where people live, visit or work. Some North Carolina residents and visitors likely find themselves suffering the devastating consequences associated with coming in contact with bed bugs.
Consider a bed bug lawyer in North Carolina
People potentially suffer considerable losses due to loss of personal property, medical bills, lost wages and other personal injury losses related to bed bugs.
Receive a free consultation with a pre-litigation North Carolina bed bug attorney regarding your North Carolina bed bug case representation.
What do bed bugs look like?
Whether you see bugs in your home, apartment, place of employment or hotel, you can likely determine if the bugs are bed bugs or something else. Bed bugs are small, about the size of an apple seed. However, the size of a bed bug varies if the bed bug had a recent blood meal. If so, instead of having the characteristic flat, oval body, a bed bug appears more elongated.
Bed bugs are dark reddish-brown or rust colored. However, bed bug color varies, according to the specific stage of their life cycle.
Nymphs are nearly translucent. Bed bugs in other early stages may have a light tan appearance, unless they recently had a blood meal. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown.
How can I determine if I have bed bugs?
You can determine if you have bed bugs in your North Carolina residence or hotel if you know where to look. Search the mattress, box springs, headboard and other areas of your bed. Check bedding because bed bugs hide in sheets, pillowcases, blankets and comforters.
Bed bugs live in upholstered furniture. Check cushions and seams of upholstered couches, love seats and chairs.
Look in dressers and other wood furniture. Pull the drawers out to check corners and joints. You may also find them in wood flooring, along baseboards or window frames. Look behind hanging pictures and in folds of drapes.
Bed bug bites are another telltale sign you have bed bugs or came in contact with them at your hotel, place of employment or other location. You can easily bring them home with you because, as the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services explains, “Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers.”
Bed bugs can infest any location in North Carolina, including Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, and Cary. We can handle cases anywhere in the state.
Is it true that bed bugs do not cause illness or disease?
Bed bugs bite several times, with bites appearing in a line or cluster. The welt-like bites can cause severe itching. Some people suffer asthmatic symptoms or allergic reactions. However, these are not the only reactions.
As pathogen carrying vectors, bed bugs do carry and transmit disease. In 1977, researchers discovered that bed bugs could carry and transmit the Hepatitis-B virus.
More recently, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology made a crucial discovery. Researchers found that bed bugs “Can transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease…” Chagas disease kills approximately 50,000 people each year.
Senior author and assistant professor Michael Z. Levy, PhD, stated, “We’ve shown that the bed bug can acquire and transmit the parasite.”
Suffering from a bed bug infestation or bed bug bites potentially has other serious consequences. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported results of the study, Psychological effects of bed bug attacks (Cimexlectularius L.).
Researchers analyzed 135 sites and blogs containing bed bug postings to assess the content for evidence of emotional trauma. They discovered that 110 of the postings “Reported psychological effects from bed bug infestations.” One even met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers concluded “…individuals who experience bed bug bites develop moderate-to-severe negative emotional symptoms after infestations.”
Can I sue a hotel in North Carolina for bed bug bites?
Hotels tend to be vulnerable to bed bug infestations if management and staff fail to properly maintain the facility. As a result, many guests can suffer from bed bug bite injuries that cause physical, emotional, and financial distress. If you or a loved one has suffered from bed bug bites in a hotel in North Carolina, you may be eligible for compensation with the help of one of our North Carolina bed bug lawyers.
Consult with a North Carolina bed bug attorney today
North Carolina General Statutes, § 42-42, (a) (2) requires landlords to “Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.”
Additionally, if you discover bed bug bites after staying in a North Carolina hotel or bring them home with you or if you discover bed bugs after making a retail purchase, you may potentially recover losses.
Our office represents North Carolina bed bug victims on a pre-litigation basis. Receive your free consultation for your North Carolina bed bug case representation.
