an appear seemingly overnight. One of the most frustrating pests, however, is bed bugs. Bed bugs do not simply wander into your house; they are, more often than not, brought in by an outside source. Once they are inside, they can wreak havoc on your body and contaminate your furnishings. Much more than your bed can be affected, and if you are not careful, you will need to spend an inordinate amount of money to fix the damages. A common way for bed bugs to enter homes is on used mattresses or used furniture. A pre-owned mattress can contain all types of different creatures, but bed bugs are particularly hardy and can escape detection. If you purchased a new mattress or used mattress with bed bugs from the used mattress store or secondhand shop, you should contact our law firm, the Bed Bug Legal Group, for more assistance.
What are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small pests, only about 1.5mm or more in length, that get their name from nesting in beds. They do not limit their nesting locations to beds, however; they can also be found underneath couches, underneath bed frames, behind electrical outlets, behind picture frames, under couch cushions, below carpeting, and more. The bugs are nocturnal creatures that feast on human blood. It can be extremely difficult to catch the bugs in action – their saliva has an anesthetic quality to it, which prevents you from feeling the sting of the bite, and they usually feast for a small while before crawling back to their nests, where they rest, engorged. They are able to feast for some time due to the anticoagulant present in their saliva as well. The bed bug bites are usually present in a zigzag manner and solidly indicate the presence of the pests.
Some people confuse bed bugs with fleas. While fleas can also be present on used furniture, they are not the only pest. It is important to be able to tell the difference between the two. The primary difference is in the way each bug moves; fleas can jump very far, while bed bugs can only crawl. They are also slightly different colors, with bed bugs being noticeably rounder.
If you believe you have a bed bug home infestation, you should check the common locations for signs of the pests. You should be on the lookout for small cream colored eggs that signify a nest, the molted exoskeletons of adolescents that matured into adulthood, stains on the fabric that could be blood or droppings, or any place where the creatures are actively roaming. Of course, the bed bugs may lay dormant for some time; they are very hardy pests and can go for months without feeding. If you do not present them with a target to feast on, they may not appear immediately.
The physical injuries you can sustain from bed bugs are not too harsh, but the bites can take some time to appear and may swell and blister. If you scratch at them, they may burst or peel, which can leave you susceptible to infections and other illnesses. Although bed bugs feast on blood, they are not known to transmit deadly diseases between victims.
Bed bug contraction is a major issue with used furniture, and we recommend seeking the assistance of a lawyer for bed bug infestations.
Steps to Take after Suffering a Bed Bug Infestation
If you purchased a bed bug infested mattress, you should take a few simple steps to ensure that any legal action you pursue will yield you the best results possible. First and foremost, you should not throw away the mattress. If you do, you will have lost your most crucial and damning piece of evidence. You cannot show that you purchased a mattress that was infested with bed bugs if you do not have the mattress any longer; the store could simply claim that you must have gotten the infestation from another source.
Similarly, you should keep all receipts of any transactions that happened to show that you purchased the mattress. If you bought the mattress with your credit card, you can show the statement displaying that you made a payment to the store for the mattress. You may also be given a normal receipt to indicate the proof of purchase.
You need to take photos of the bed bugs, their nests, and the mattress with the infestation. Further, photos and videos of your injuries will be able to help prove that you were harmed and you are not merely lying about your damages.
Once you have acquired all of your evidence, you should reach out to an attorney to sue for bed bugs. We can help you sue the mattress store for compensation related to the infestation.
You may have to throw out many of your pieces of furniture if fumigation proves ineffective or if the infestation is too widespread. This fumigation process may also require you to spend time living away from home in a hotel or another living quarters. Of course, this can greatly disturb your routine of life, and you should seek fair compensation for the inconvenience and damages.
Can You Sue for a Bed Bug Infestation?
With the help of an experienced attorney, you can sue the mattress store and other responsible parties to receive various kinds of compensation for your damages. You should not be made to endure the ordeal without receiving any restitution. Our lawyers promise to do all we can to bring you the compensation you deserve. You may be able to earn:
- Coverage for medical bills and expenses that added up because of your bed bug bites; you may require medication or other treatments, as well as future treatments after the lawsuit.
- Property damage, which can cover the costs of your furniture that you need to throw away and replace, as well as expenses stemming from exterminators.
- Lost income, or the time you must miss at work because of how much time you spent away from home and unable to go in. You may even be able to receive future lost income if you cannot return to work until your home is repaired.
- Pain and suffering damages, or compensation for emotional stress, psychological scarring, PTSD, fear, anxiety, and more. Bed bug bites are serious and the lasting mental effects can be devastating.
A skilled lawyer from our law firm can help you receive the money you deserve from a bed bug lawsuit.
Our Scope of Practice
Our law firm has taken on clients from across the country. Our bed bug attorneys handle cases from clients who live in places like Los Angeles, California, San Diego, Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Miami, New York, Chicago, San Francisco. Philadelphia. Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Nashville, Memphis, South Carolina, California, Texas, Detroit, Ohio, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Fresno, Riverside, San Bernardino, and more. We make it a point to serve all individuals, regardless of where they are from.
There are many types of used mattress stores, from chain establishments to self-run businesses. Some of the stores we have taken action against include Rent A Center, Aarons, Affordable Rent-to-Own, Buddy’s Home Furnishings, ColorTyme Rent-to-Own, Conn’s Home Plus, FlexShopper, National Rent-to-Own, Rent-2-Own, Rent One, Sears Lease It Program, Kmart’s Lease-and-Go Program, and more. No store is too big or small for us to sue: we will hunt for your compensation no matter what.
Can You Sue? Do You Want to Sue? Let Us Help
Call our experienced attorneys at the Bed Bug Legal Group today to learn more about filing a lawsuit because of injury due to bed bug bites. Our aggressive attorneys will do all we can to fight for your rights as a consumer. You should not be sold mattresses infested with bed bugs, and if you sustain injuries and suffer damages because of a store’s negligence, you should be entitled to fair and ample compensation. We will work around the clock to ensure that your lawsuit is being properly handled.
Get in touch with our law group to receive a free legal consultation with an experienced attorney. If you have any questions about bed bug lawsuits or the laws surrounding product liability and negligence, we will answer them. We believe in providing all of our clients with detailed information so that they can make the best choices possible when it comes to taking legal action. All of our consultations are completely confidential, and your private discussions with us will never leave our office walls.
If you select us to represent you, you will receive a zero fee guarantee on your claim. This means that you will never have to pay us any expenses from your own pockets – we will front all of the costs of the case ourselves, win or lose. If we win, our fees will be taken care of from the settlement we bring you, so the mattress store will essentially cover your legal bills. If we lose, you will not have to pay anything, and we will eat the loss ourselves.
To talk with a lawyer for bed bug bites, reach out to the Bed Bug Legal Group today.
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