Many of us have a story or two about a vacation taking a wrong turn, but stories involving bed bugs typically tend to be brief and terrible. Although almost microscopic in size, bed bugs have the power to turn your dream vacation into a nightmare that you can’t wait to escape from.
Before we get into the steps you should take if you run into any bed bugs, let’s first take a moment to see what bed bugs are exactly and why we should steer clear of them.
There are many ways a stay at a hotel can turn unpleasant, and bed bugs can be one of the worst ways to ruin a trip. In addition to leaving irritating bites, bed bugs can also leave bite victims at risk of developing an infection, culminating in additional medical bills and distress.
Unfortunately, hotels and motels are favorite spots for bed bugs, and guests who encounter an infestation may wind up bringing them home, resulting in an even larger infestation within the house that requires extermination.
Here are some steps to take when you suspect an infestation or identify one during your stay.
One of the best ways to avoid an issue is to inspect the hotel room before unpacking and settling into it. All you need to do so is a small flashlight.
First, you’ll want to inspect typical infestation areas, which will include beneath and along the seams of the mattress. Carefully remove the bedsheets and the mattress pad, and use the flashlight to look at all four corners of the mattress and box spring.
Next, you can inspect the crevices throughout the mattress, followed by an inspection of the headboard. You should also look behind pictures hanging on the wall, along with furniture around the bed such as the nightstand and the luggage rack.
If you happen to find any bed bugs or signs of them in any of these areas, notify the front desk immediately and either move to a new room or check out. However, you need to make sure you collect evidence that confirms an infestation.
When inspecting, you may spot brown specks on mattresses, which could be bed bug blood spots or bed bugs themselves, whose bodies are oval-shaped and wingless. Black spots can indicate bed bug fecal matter. Bed bugs also molt, leaving gold shells behind that you might find.
Photograph anything you see, and once you have collected enough evidence, immediately report your findings to management and evacuate the room. The hotel should provide you with a report, which you should maintain, along with taking down the names of every hotel staff member you communicated with.
If you have been bitten by bed bugs, and you are certain these bites resulted from an infestation in a hotel, you may be eligible for compensation if the neglect of hotel staff resulted in the infestation.
With the help of a reputable attorney, you may be able to recover both monetary and nonmonetary damages. The last thing you should do is leave bed bug infestations and bites ignored, but with the right precautions, you can avoid bed bug bites, or if you are unsuspectedly attacked, you can file a claim with the help of a competent legal representative to help ensure you and your loved ones receive compensation for your injuries and damages.
Managers and owners of hotels may have to deal with bed bug infestations, with a plan of action in place for getting rid of them. Responsible hotel management will make sure that bed bugs aren’t an issue by performing regular inspections and other steps in a complete plan.
Here are steps a hotel can take to eliminate bed bugs.
The first step hotelsshould take in removing bed bugs is inspecting the rooms to determine how severe the infestation is; in bedsheets, box springs, and nearby furniture and flooring. There are several signs of bed bugs that hotels should look for when figuring out the level of infestation, including:
Hotel staff shouldl then prepare the room for treatment by reducing clutter to eliminate possible hiding spaces and to assist in speeding up the heating process. Item such as books, clothing, drawer contents, and electronics should always be sealed in bags and stored out of the treated room. Staff should also remove couch cushions and lean the mattress against a nearby wall.
All dresser drawers and closets should be opened to facilitate heating throughout, followed by pre-heating the room to 90 degrees or higher, sealing all windows to trap the heat.
Heater units are placed around the bed and other areas in the room, with time to allow them to heat up. Heaters should be on the high setting until the room reaches approximately 106 degree.
Fans are also used in heavily infested areas to circulate the heat and bring these areas to 130 degrees for two to four hours, which is the temperature at which bed bugs are killed.
After this is completed, hotels should apply a spray to prevent any potential future infestations.
Failure to take these steps can result in severe infestations, for which bite victims may be able to receive compensation.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of bed bug bites, and you believe they are the results of the negligence of a third party, you may be entitled to compensation if you file a bed bug lawsuit. Filing bed bug lawsuits and winning a case will require some planning, which a bed bug injury attorney can help you accomplish.
Here are some basic steps to follow if you want to receive compensation for bed bug bites.
As soon as you suspect you’ve suffered from a bed bug infestation due to the negligence of hotel staff or others, you need to collect sufficient evidence to file a lawsuit. This will entail taking photographs of bedsheets and other areas where visible evidence is present, such as small red spots or dead bed bugs. You also need to notify management of the infestation so a proper inspection of the room can be performed.
Any evidence supporting your lawsuit will help you successfully file one with the help of a bed bug bite lawyer. You can then consult with an attorney who can determine whether or not you have a bed bug case and proceed with a lawsuit.
If you have suffered from bed bug bites as a guest in a hotel or another facility, you may be eligible to receive bed bug compensation by making a claim, as a result of the facility’s failure in its “duty of care” to prevent infestations and subsequent injuries.
While many people may not feel that their case is worth pursuing because the injury is too small or the challenge of filing a claim too great, but the fact is that they may have a chance to receive ample compensation if a hotel or other hospitality facility is found to have been negligent enough to cause an infestation.
You may be able to receive compensation for a number of things, including:
Hotels, vacation rentals, and many other locations are liable for injuries resulting from negligence. If the property management knew about the potential for or existence of an infestation and failed to take the necessary measures to prevent or eliminate it, this could make them liable and force them to pay compensation.
Bed bug bite effects can reach far beyond mere bite marks on the body. Many victims will experience itching, pain, or anxiety for months following the initial bites, along with other forms of mental anguish or financial repercussions. Defendants in these cases have included hotel owners, management, staff, and their insurance providers.
If you believe you have been the victim of bed bug bites in a hotel, one of the first steps you should take is to collect as much evidence of an infestation as possible. This can include collecting a bug that you found in the room, which you are more likely to find under the sheets, between the box spring and the mattress, behind the bed, and around the headboard. You should also check any couches or chairs in the room.
Take photographs of the room before you leave, including close-up shots of dead or live bugs or evidence of their presence, along with wider shots that cover the entire room. Also, take photos of your bite marks as proof that you were bitten.
Following the discovery of an infestation, ask the hotel management to send a representative to the room to make note of the issue. Afterwards, request a copy of the report in writing from the manager or owner. Communicating via email or other written forms will help provide evidence that you made a complaint in time.
A majority of bed bug bite injury victims don’t have a serious reaction, but they can be more dangerous and carry long-term effects for certain individuals. Depending on the severity of the injury and the reaction, bed bug bites can develop into open blisters that can become infected, and can even form permanent scars. Prompt medical attention can help avoid these issues.
Contact hotel management and file an injury report in writing, if possible, and contact the local county health department to perform an inspection and develop a report of their own.
A reputable and experienced bed bug lawyer will be able to assist you with the complexities involved in pursuing a claim against any facilities responsible for bed bug infestations and resulting injuries. He or she can determine if you have a viable case and will work with you to try and recover the compensation you deserve.
