A Kentucky motel has to pay $2M to the family of a man who died after a 150-degree shower

19.07.2024 - 11:46 / insider.com

A jury awarded more than $2 million to the family of a 76-year-old man who died after suffering severe burns from a 150-degree shower at a Kentucky motel.

According to local media outlets, the judgment, filed earlier this month, awarded Alex Chronis' estate $1.3 million to cover medical expenses, $250,000 for pain and suffering, $16,000 for funeral costs, and $500,000 for punitive damages.

A lawsuit filed in October 2022 in Kentucky's Kenton County Circuit Court shows that the estate initially sought $7 million in damages.

According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred on November 19, 2021, a day after Chronis checked into the Econo Lodge motel in Erlanger, Kentucky.

Chronis took a shower and, according to the lawsuit, was "almost immediately bombarded with scalding hot water which knocked him to the floor of the shower tub where the water continued to scald him."

The lawsuit said the water temperature exceeded 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chronis sustained third-degree burns from which he never fully recovered, the lawsuit said.

Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150-degree water for even two seconds, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The jury found that Sanjay Patel, the motel owner, failed to exercise "ordinary care" in inspecting and maintaining the motel room in a "reasonably safe condition" for guests, according to Cincinnati's The Enquirer.

Patel did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

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According to The Enquirer, Chronis initially used nonprescription medicine for his burns, before going to work at a local food festival.

He later went to the emergency room and, against medical advice, returned to work, the newspaper said.

According to The Enquirer, Chronis returned to the hospital within two days and remained there for around five months.

During his hospital stay, he underwent numerous medical procedures, including surgical grafting for his wounds, the newspaper reported.

He went to another hospital in June 2022 after a stint in a rehabilitation facility, but ultimately died from his injuries on June 19, 2022, according to the lawsuit.