Can I Sue Intercontinental Hotel for Bed Bugs?

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If you have been bitten by bed bugs while staying at an InterContinental Hotel, you should seek appropriate legal action for your injuries. The creatures can cause all sorts of issues, ranging from physical reactions to damages to your home. Hotel managers and owners should ensure that their establishments are free from bed bugs and other such infestations. If it s revealed or found out that there are vermin, the hotel should immediately clean the rooms; sadly, not many hotels are this diligent, especially if they have poor managers operating them. In the event that you were bitten, you may wish to know where to file a claim against InterContinental Hotel for bed bug injuries. Our law firm, the Bed Bug Legal Group, will gladly represent you in your bed bug lawsuit against InterContinental Hotel.

Bed Bugs: What You Need To Know

Can I Sue Intercontinental Hotel for Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are troublesome creatures that many people confuse with fleas and ticks. Fleas are a different color and can jump very far distances; they also tend to nest near animal or pet beds and primarily stay on animal skin and in fur. Ticks are usually encountered in the woods or near trees; they burrow beneath the skin and can be difficult to remove. Bed bugs do not share these qualities – they cannot fly or jump, and they can only move around by crawling.

Here are some key facts you should know about bed bugs

  • They are nocturnal, which means they only tend to come out to feast at night
  • Bodies are reddish-brown, flat, and round
  • Bed bugs are only up to 5 millimeters in length
  • They feast on human blood
  • Their saliva has an anesthetic to prevent you from feeling pain when bitten
  • Their saliva has an anti-coagulant to prevent the blood from clotting and the wound from closing so they can drink for minutes at a time
  • The creatures can survive for months without feasting

If you cannot locate bed bugs or accurately identify them, you should look at the bites you received to determine if they were caused by the bugs or another kind of insect. Bed bug bites have the following traits:

  • Mostly show up on areas of exposed skin, such as the neck and forearms if you are wearing pajamas
  • Appear in a zigzag pattern
  • Show up as raised, red welts
  • They do not overly itch
  • May develop into sores or garner infections
  • Can cause allergic reactions

Thankfully, bed bugs do not carry diseases and are not likely to cause severe illnesses. Regardless, the bites can be frustrating and result in a high level of discomfort, especially if you have an adverse reaction to them.

Where Bed Bugs Nest

Bed bugs tend to nest in areas that are damp and dark, but are also close to the victims. They like to stay within crawling distance. You can search the following areas for bed bugs:

  • Behind picture frames and paintings
  • Behind electrical outlets
  • In the folds of mattresses
  • In blankets and sheets
  • Underneath baseboards and bed frames
  • Behind headboards and baseboards
  • Below carpets and rugs
  • Inside dresser drawers and desk drawers
  • Inside upholstery
  • Underneath couch cushions and pillows
  • Below box springs

While looking for bed bugs, you can pay attention to the scent in the air. There may be a musty odor emitted from the creatures. You should be on the lookout for telltale signs of the creatures as well. The most obvious indication of an infestation is the bugs themselves, but there are other things to look out for, including:

  • Exoskeletons that have been shed by juvenile bed bugs
  • Blood stains on the mattress, sheets, couch, or blankets
  • Dark brown mounds or droppings left behind by bed bugs
  • Small, oval, cream-colored eggs stuck to the surfaces

If you encounter an infestation in an InterContinental Hotel, you should ensure that you were not bitten and that the creatures did not latch onto your luggage. If you didn’t notice the infestation until after you had already stayed at the hotel for some nights, you should go to the doctor to be treated. The presence of bites can trigger you to file an InterContinental Hotel bed bug lawsuit.

Can I Sue InterContinental Hotel for Bed Bugs?

You can sue InterContinental Hotel for bed bugs if they caused you to suffer damages or losses to your belongings. Many hotels are infested with bed bugs because of how many guests enter the premises. They may bring bed bugs in with them from home or from other locations, especially if they are tourists who have previously stayed at cheap, unkempt locations. Regardless of who brings the bed bugs in, though, you can still take legal action.

Can You Sue InterContinental Hotel for Bed Bug Bites?

You can file a claim against the hotel for bed bug bites because the bites are considered physical injuries. California laws state that all apartments and hotels must be free from unsanitary conditions because humans are going to occupy the rooms. The InterContinental Hotel bed bug policy also says that there must be no infestations.

To file a claim for bed bug bites, you must have adequate evidence of the injuries and you must have been a guest at the hotel. Guests are considered invitees, or individuals who were on the property for a mutual benefit, generally as customers. You then must show that the hotel manager acted in one of three manners:

  • He knew there was an infestation and decided not to fix it or issue any warnings
  • He caused the infestation in the first place
  • He did not know there was an infestation but he reasonably should have known if he had acted with the diligence of other hotel managers

In order to sue the hotel for bed bug bites, you must have evidence like:

  • Photos of your injuries
  • Proof of medical treatment
  • Credit card statements showing you were a paying customer at the hotel
  • Pictures of the bed bugs and their nests
  • Copy of an incident report with the hotel
  • Statements from other guests or workers who were also affected by or witnessed the infestation

With all of this evidence, you can take legal action. Call our firm to determine where to file a claim for bed bug bites while staying at an InterContinental Hotel.

Here Is How to File a Bed Bug Claim Against InterContinental Hotel

  • Collect your evidence
  • Do not wait too long after the incident to go get medical treatment, as a gap can be a red flag to insurance agents
  • Alert the hotel to the infestation, but only after you have your proof, as the hotel manager will likely try to usher you out of the room and prevent you from gathering evidence
  • Retain the incident report
  • Refuse any offers from the hotel that can be given as compensation, like vouchers, promos, and free rooms
  • Call one of our experienced lawyers for InterContinental Hotel bed bug lawsuits

Statute of Limitations for Bed Bug Claims

If you do not know how to file a lawsuit against InterContinental Hotel for bed bugs or how to take legal action, you may not be aware that there is a statute of limitations for personal injury claims. These lawsuits must be filed within 2 years of the date of the injury or you will not be able to secure any compensation in the future.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course. If you were under the age of 18 years old, your statute will be suspended until you turn legal age. Further, if the defendant left the state, the statute would be postponed and would not resume until he returns.

One of the main reasons individuals fail to file claims against hotels for bed bug bites is because they miss the statute of limitations. Do not let that happen with your case. Let us tell you how to report a bed bug in a hotel and how to move forward with legal action.

Restitution from a Bed Bug Lawsuit

The typical hotel bed bug settlement is not very large; it may net around $10,000 if everything goes well. The biggest bed bug lawsuit settlements, though, can total over $1 million, but these usually involve numerous plaintiffs and injuries, as well as a high degree of negligence from the hotel.

Some InterContinental Hotel bed bug compensation can include:

  • Medical expenses from the past and future
  • Missed wages from your job from the past and future
  • Property damage if items or personal belongings were thrown out and must be replaced
  • Extermination fees
  • Reimbursement of vacation costs and hotel costs
  • Pain and suffering damages for anxiety, fear, PTSD, emotional anguish, and more

With the help of our lawyers, you can receive the maximum settlement available under the law.

The Bed Bug Legal Group’s Promise

The Bed Bug Legal Group promises to help you each step of the way with your lawsuit against InterContinental hotel. We will represent you and ensure that you are awarded every penny you deserve. Our lawyers are highly experienced in lawsuits against such establishments and we know the best methods for success. We will aggressively pursue your rightful compensation and won’t stop until we are satisfied with the result.

For a free legal consultation, reach out to our law offices. We are available around the clock and will answer all of your questions and concerns. If you have specific queries about your case, we will discuss it with you and tell you how much we believe we can win for you. Further, by hiring us to represent you, you will not have to pay a penny of out of pocket expenses for our services. We will only get paid if we win your claim, and if we lose, we get nothing at all.

Contact the Bed Bug Legal Group today to speak with a lawyer with experience in InterContinental Hotel bed bug lawsuits.

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