Category Archives: Injuries

by | November 23, 2012 · 9:08 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: North Carolina Motel Damaged After Meth Lab Explodes Inside Room

Agents with the State Bureau of Investigation donned chemical gear to sift through the rubble of the motel room to determine the cause of the explosion. Investigators said some of the materials used to make methamphetamine are highly flammable.

The front of a Dudley motel blew out early Friday when a methamphetamine lab inside one of the rooms exploded, authorities said. The explosion occurred at about 4:15 a.m. at the Old Goldwater Motel, 3428 U.S. Highway 117 Alternate. The Mar-Mac Fire Department responded to the motel, but authorities said the building sustained little or no fire damage.

Valentine Morales, who lives at the motel with his family, said the explosion awakened him as he slept on a sofa. He said his first thoughts were for his wife and three children sleeping in the next rooms.

Two of the people injured in the blast ran to Jeffrey Aultman’s house nearby for help.

“It scared me. I was getting ready to go out the door, and it was bang, bang, bang, and it shook me up,” Aultman said, noting that he initially thought the men at his door had been in a vehicle wreck.

Two of the injured drove themselves to Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro, authorities said. Wayne County EMS took two more people to the hospital.

For more: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9255785/

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by | November 22, 2012 · 7:19 am

Hospitality Industry Workers' Compensation Insurance Risks: Tennessee Supreme Court Awards Restaurant Manager Benefits At "Six Times His Medical Impairment" From Electrocution Injuries

“…The Tennessee Supreme Court held that a manager was entitled to benefits at the statutory maximum of six times his medical impairment…the manager was denied a meaningful return to work when he was terminated in retaliation for filing his claim. The manager’s age, education, training, work experience, and limitations warranted the six-times multiplier…”

A co-manager for a fast food restaurant was repairing a heating element used to keep food warm. Someone plugged the heating element into an electrical outlet. An electrical shock caused the manager to lose consciousness. He suffered from burns on his hands, chest pains, headaches, and memory loss. He repeatedly asked his supervisor to pay his medical expenses and authorize medical care for his symptoms. The district manager said he would “take care of it,” but the bills remained unpaid. The manager filed a workers’ compensation claim, and the restaurant was fined for failing to timely report the incident. Days after the claim was filed, his supervisor “vulgarly expressed his anger” about the claim. Within weeks, the manager, who had never received a reprimand, received two reprimands and was later terminated.

A neurologist diagnosed the manager with a migraine condition and epilepsy and opined that the conditions were caused by the electrical shock. The neurologist found that he reached maximum medical improvement with a 10 percent impairment to the body as a whole. A vocational expert opined that the manager suffered a 65 percent vocational disability based on his age, limitations, work history, and the local labor market. The manager was unable to find gainful employment other than occasional “odd jobs.” The Tennessee Supreme Court held that he was entitled to benefits at the statutory maximum of six times his medical impairment.

The court rejected the restaurant’s argument that the maximum multiplier possible was meant to punish it for mishandling the claim rather than an assessment of disability.

For more:  http://www.riskandinsurance.com/story.jsp?storyId=533352818

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by | November 18, 2012 · 7:16 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Indiana Restaurant Suffers "Severe Structural Damage" As Car Crashes Into Dining Room; Customer Hospitalized In Serious Condition

“…the building suffered severe structural damage…the Indianapolis Fire Department’s Structural Collapse Rescue Team was called in to secure the building and prevent it from further collapse…the female customer was taken to (the hospital) in serious condition…”

Wayne Township Fire crews responded to an accident near West Washington Street and Lynhurst Saturday after an SUV crashed into the dining room of a restaurant – pinning a customer between the car and the counter.

A passenger inside the SUV said she and her daughter-in-law, who was driving, were headed east on Washington when a van pulled out in front of them.  She said her daughter-in-law swerved to avoid it, but lost control and crashed into the building.

Mariah Taylor was working at a fast food restaurant next door when she heard the crash, ran over to help along with a co-worker, and saw the woman who was pinned.

The passenger in the SUV suffered only a scratch. She said her daughter-in-law was able to get out of the vehicle on her own.

Wayne Township Fire officials said they haven’t been able to confirm the number of employees in the business at the time of the accident. There were no other injuries reported.

For more:  http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/suv-crashes-into-restaurant

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by | November 16, 2012 · 7:12 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Data Reveals Few U.S. Hotels Have "Carbon Monoxide Alarms" Installed; 30 Incidents Of Elevated CO Levels Has Led To Evacuations And 8 Deaths

“…Few of the roughly 4.9 million rooms in 51,214 lodging properties with at least 15 rooms have (carbon monoxide) alarms…From 2010 through Nov. 8, 2102, there were 30 incidents of fire departments or government officials finding elevated levels of CO at U.S. hotels…in the 30 incidents, more than 1,300 people were evacuated, eight died, and at least 170 were affected by CO, treated by medical personnel or hospitalized…”

Neil Hampson was inside his room at a lodge in Alaska during a salmon fishing vacation three years ago when his carbon monoxide alarm sounded. Hampson, a Seattle doctor and expert on carbon monoxide, went to the basement and found the CO level four times higher. He says he turned off the gas for the water heater, and CO levels throughout the building “dropped precipitously.”

A plumber later found that the water heater was improperly vented, he says, and the lodge owner installed CO alarms in each sleeping room. Guests and staff at the lodge near Alaska’s Kenai River were fortunate Hampson carries an alarm which detects the odorless, colorless poison gas that can cause brain damage or be lethal.

Only a handful of state or municipal laws require them, although more than 1,300 people were evacuated nationally from hotels because of high CO levels in recent years.

CO, often called “the silent killer,” is such a threat that the National Fire Protection Association says CO alarms should be near bedrooms in every home.

For more:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2012/11/15/hotels-carbon-monoxide-alarms/1707863/

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by | November 7, 2012 · 7:48 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Florida Hotel And Management Company Ordered To Pay $1.7 Million To Victim Of "Car Jacking" In Parking Lot; "Inadequate Hotel Security And Burned Out Lights In Parking Area"

“…evidence showed “security was present, but spent more time delivering bed items, towels, and bell carts to guests rather than patrolling the exterior of the hotel and serving as a deterrent to crime. The hotel provided a ‘uniformed housekeeper,’ not security…”

In addition, lights that would have illuminated the area where the crime occurred were burned out and hadn’t been replaced for months.

An Orange County jury Friday ordered Hilton Embassy Suites, Interstate Management Company, and SecurAmerica to pay a combined $1.7 million dollars in restitution to Troy Anderson, who was shot in 2008 while parking his car at the Hilton Embassy Suites on Jamaican Court, near International Drive.

Anderson filed a lawsuit in 2009 for the shooting that occurred on the premises of the Hilton Embassy Suites on September 26, 2008, when he was shot multiple times during a car jacking. He sustained serious and life-threatening injuries as a result. (Troy Anderson v. Hilton Hotels, et al., Case No. 2009-CA-040473-O, Fla. 9th Judicial Cir.).

A former Regional Manager, Chuck Klawitter, testified the hotel would “wait until enough lights were burned out to justify getting a ‘hi-light’ to replace the burned out lights.” Klawitter and two other former SecurAmerica employees, Emmanuel Denau, a former Quality Assurance Supervisor, and Rob Wombolt, a former Operations Manager, testified they brought their security concerns to the attention of the hotel and the security company.

Witnesses testified that the area where hotel personnel instructed Mr. Anderson to park his vehicle was “very dark,” even though it was only 50 or 60 feet from the hotel entrance. Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), Gerardo Bloise, Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSO), photographed and documented the scene and his photographs confirmed that a critical floodlight intended to illuminate the area where Mr. Anderson parked was not working on the night he was shot. CSI Bloise confirmed in his testimony the area was “very dark.”

Assistant Hotel General Manager, Victor Vergara, claimed and testified at trial, contrary to the evidence, that all the lights were working and the parking lot lighting was “perfect.”

Jurors also learned that a similar strong-armed robbery had occurred in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites ten days prior. Deputy Lourdes Clayton of the OCSO appeared on the scene of the armed robbery ten days earlier and was on the Hilton Embassy Suites’ property for approximately an hour. The hotel and security company denied knowing she was on the property though in following protocol she would have arrived with lights and sirens on as the call was a Code 3 emergency. She also completed an “incident report,” which is a public record and which was brought out in her testimony at trial where she verified she was on the property for “approximately an hour.” The victim who was robbed at gunpoint, 72-year-old Roger Kraft from Ohio, stayed an additional two nights at the hotel, yet the hotel and security company argued he did not tell anyone about being robbed despite the fact his wallet, cash, and credit cards were stolen. Allen told the jury the assertion was “ridiculous.” Mr. Kraft unfortunately passed away a year and a half ago.

For more:  http://news.yahoo.com/orlando-hotel-ordered-pay-1-7-million-dollars-082430903.html;_ylt=A2KJjakMeZpQcGcAaXDQtDMD

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by | October 31, 2012 · 6:07 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Hotel Fined $70,000 After Employee Loses Fingers During "Routine Test Of Emergency Generator Equipment"

“…a Toronto Hilton employee saw a leak during a routine test on the hotel’s emergency generator equipment. As he leaned in to get a better look, his hand slipped into a fan. The fan’s blades cut off his fingers…”

A hotel company has been fined $70,000 after one of its workers lost some of his fingers on the job.

Justice of the Peace Kevin Madigan fined Northstar Hospitality GP Inc., which owns the Hilton hotel, for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Northstar Hospitality pleaded guilty for failing to ensure the generator’s parts were guarded.

The court added a 25 per cent surcharge to the fine, which goes toward a provincial government fund for victims of crimes.

For more:  http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1279358–hotel-owner-fined-70-000-after-worker-loses-fingers

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by | October 24, 2012 · 6:12 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Illinois Hotel Guest Files "Negligence Lawsuit" After Stepping In "Drainage Hole" In Parking Lot; Seeks $50,000 In Damages For Medical And Court Costs

“…it (was)…difficult to see a drainage hole in the parking lot. When he stepped in the hole, Wright says he tore his right meniscus and will need to have a full knee replacement in the next few years to repair the injury…”

An O’Fallon hotel is being sued after one if its guests allegedly hurt his knee when he stepped in a hole in the hotel’s parking lot. Samuel Wright filed a lawsuit Oct. 5 against Kingston Hotel Group LLC in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

According to the petition, Wright and his family were staying at the Candlewood Suites in O’Fallon in July 2011. Wright says he left the hotel through the west exit door to go to his car in the parking lot. The surface of the parking lot was exceptionally dark, Wright claims, because of some asphalt sealant the hotel had applied to it.

Wright accuses Kingston Hotel Group, the owner of the hotel, of negligence for allegedly failing to warn guests of the potential hazard in the parking lot. He asks for more than $50,000 in damages for medical expenses and court costs.

For more: http://madisonrecord.com/issues/366-personal-injury/247261-candlewood-suites-in-ofallon-sued-over-customers-trip-in-parking-lot

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by | October 16, 2012 · 6:02 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Texas Hotel Sued For "Negligence" After Man Slips And Falls Down Flight Of Stairs; Failure To Post Warning Of Wet Carpet

“…According to the lawsuit, the hotel had washed, shampooed or cleaned its carpets prior to Steele’s arrival and left them in a wet and slippery condition without any warning to Steele…”

The defendant is accused of negligence for failing to inspect its premises to be sure that they were free of unreasonably dangerous conditions, dry its floors after cleaning, limit access to areas in which the floors were not yet dry, warn its invitees of the existence of the wet floors, select and hire competent contractors in such a way as to ensure that they were not creating an unreasonable risk of harm to invitees.

A Louisiana man has filed a lawsuit against the owners of a Comfort Inn claiming that they failed to warn him that the carpet was wet, which caused him to fall down an entire flight of stairs. Walter Steele filed suit against Laxmi Lodging Inc. on Oct. 12 in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.

The incident occurred on Sept. 9, 2012 as Steele was attempting to exit a Comfort Inn in Palestine, Texas, owned by the defendant by the way of the staircase when his foot slipped on the wet flooring causing him to fall down an entire flight of stairs and onto the concrete floor.  The fall caused Steele serious and permanent disabling injuries to his back and spine.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for medical expenses, lost earnings, physical impairment, pain, suffering, mental anguish, and lost earning capacity.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/275705-hotel-owner-sued-after-patron-falls-down-flight-of-stairs

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by | October 10, 2012 · 6:28 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: South Dakota Hotel Rebuilt After Fire Started By "Cigarette On Couch" Causes $160,000 In Damage

“…Investigators have determined that the fire was started by a cigarette on a couch in the second floor room of Bradley Morris, the tenant who died…The fire caused extensive smoke damage, however, with the second floor most affected…It took nearly three months for workers from Service Master to clean all of the building, a job that included painstaking work on the metal framework of the suspended ceiling…”

The heat of the fire was intense enough to burst the windows of the apartment, but the construction of the building helped keep the blaze contained, Chadron Fire Chief Pat Gould told The Chadron Record shortly after the fire. The fire burned through the ceiling of the apartment, but its spread was limited by the building’s brick walls and the lath and plaster construction of the upper levels.

The clean up job also included replacing every carpet and smoke alarm in the building, repainting, and completely reworking the apartment where the fire started, the Bagneschi’s said.

The work ended up costing some $160,000, a figure doesn’t count the time Bagneschis put into the project themselves. “It’s been quite a chore,” said Larry.

For more:  http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/chadron/fire-damaged-blaine-hotel-completely-restored/article_3024cb98-1238-11e2-9cad-0019bb2963f4.html

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by | October 8, 2012 · 6:24 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Missouri Motel Fire Caused By Guest Smoking In Bed; Several "Oxygen Tanks" Were In Room

“…The man (was) on oxygen, and McConnell says there were several oxygen tanks in the man’s room…Officials investigating the cause of the blaze told KSPR News the fire was indeed accidental. The fire started near the bed, and officials had warned the man before about smoking in bed…”

Fire officials say a fire that killed a man in a west Springfield motel was accidental in nature. The call to fire crews was made around 2:15 Monday morning. The flames were coming out of one room of the Cloud Drift Motel, 3601 West Sunshine Street, west of West Bypass.

An attempt was made to rescue a man who was staying in the room, but the flames were too high for anyone to get inside. Brookline Fire Chief Larry McConnell says his crew is familiar with the man who died in the fire. He says they have responded to medical calls for him.

Once tankers arrived, the fire was put out quickly. Fire crews from Brookline and Willard responded. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department is assisting with the investigation. No firefighters were hurt. The room where the victim was staying is damaged heavily. The unit next door was also burned, but no one was there when the fire happened.

For more:  http://www.kspr.com/news/kspr-fatal-fire-one-man-is-dead-after-a-fire-in-west-springfield-20121008,0,6937042.story

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