Ft. Lauderdale Attorneys Get Settlement from Motel Infested by Bed bugs

Family of four attacked by bed bugs while on vacation in Florida

A family of four from New York was attacked by bed bugs while staying at a motel on US 1 in Fort Lauderdale. The family decided to take a road trip from New York that would stop at many major cities in Florida. Their trip was very enjoyable until they reached Fort Lauderdale. They decided to stay at a relatively inexpensive motel near a main highway in Fort Lauderdale. Though the hotel lacked the typical frills such as a spa or a swimming pool, they figured that because they were only staying the night, the frills were unnecessary. They had no idea that a one-night stay could become so dangerous.

New York family of four eaten alive by bed bugs at Fort Lauderdale Motel

Sometime around 4 a.m., the youngest child of the family awoke and began to scream at the top of his lungs. He reported the feeling of “bee stings” all throughout his body. As soon as his parents woke up, they knew there was a major problem. They experienced a burning sensation all throughout their bodies and noted that they were extremely itchy. After checking on their young child, the parents tuned the lights on and began to look under the covers of the beds. They noticed thousands of very small bedbugs, which were found all throughout the beds. The father lifted up the mattress and noticed huge nests of small bed bugs in the corners of the beds. They immediately called the front desk of the hotel to request a new room.

Family attacked by thousands of bed bugs

Nobody at the front desk answered the phone. The father decided to take a walk to the front desk to complain. Nobody was there. The father waited at the front desk for approximately 20 minutes before an employee, obviously awoken from a nap, came out of a back room to see what was going on. The father was very upset and complained that his family had been attacked by bed bugs. The employee was very dismissive and stated that there was no way they could’ve been attacked by bed bugs. He said that bed bugs were not present in Florida and that they were only common in the Northeast portion of the United States. The father knew this could not be true and asked the employee to come back to the room and take a look.

Fort Lauderdale Motel employee refuses to admit to the existence of bed bugs

The employee came back to the room with a flashlight. The family began to point out all of the areas where they found bugs. The employee refused to admit that the bugs were bed bugs. Instead, he argued that they were harmless black ants. The father became very upset, pointing out that every member of his family had been bitten multiple times and showed the employee the various bites. The employee stated that they must’ve been bitten by some mosquitoes earlier in the day but would not admit that the bites were from bed bugs. The employee also would not allow the family to change rooms and refused to help in any way whatsoever. Upset, the father collected many of the bugs and placed them into a plastic bag. He also photographed the room and many places where the bed bugs had nested. The family then checked out of the room and moved to a nearby hotel.

Family of four hires Bed bug Lawyers Dell and Schaefer to help with their bed bug attack

Our bed bug attorneys were amazed at the way this family was treated by motel employees and would not allow this level of negligence to go unchecked. We immediately hired a bed bug expert who returned to the motel and was able to inspect the same room our clients stayed in. He was taken aback by the level of infestation he found in the room. He noted that bed bugs were present in almost every square foot of the room. He found dead bed bug carcasses that appeared to be present within the room for several months. He noted that the mattresses were so full of bed bugs that the bugs would spill out of the mattress when a person would sit on the bed. He was disgusted by what he found and stated that this was the worst infestation he had witnessed.

Fort Lauderdale bed bug Attorneys threaten to sue motel for bed bug infestation

Initially, representatives for the hotel refused to admit any wrongdoing. They continued to argue that the bugs were harmless black ants. They continued to play this game until confronted with a video our expert made where he revealed what he had found in that room. The demeanor of the insurance company went from one of defiance to one of complete remorse. They no longer refused to admit wrongdoing. Instead, they offered to compensate our clients for the cost of the motel room and the cost of the other room our clients purchased. Our attorneys let them know that this offer was not good enough.

Bed bug Attorneys Dell and Schaefer settle Fort Lauderdale bed bug case

Our attorneys demanded compensation not only for the cost of the motel rooms but also for the pain and suffering experienced, as well as the value of our clients’ personal items which were destroyed by the bugs. They had to purchase new luggage and clothing out of the fear that they may bring these bugs back to their home. Though initially the insurance company refused compensation beyond the cost of the rooms, eventually they agreed to compensate our clients fully and completely. Our lawyers were able to get our clients compensated for the full value of their damaged property as well as for their pain and suffering plus inconvenience. Though our clients were traumatized by the experience, they felt vindicated knowing that the motel admitted wrongdoing and was forced to compensate them for their terrible experience.