A court has reportedly ordered a Kentucky Econo Lodge to pay over $2 million to the family of a 76-year-old man who died after suffering severe burns in a scalding hot shower.
Alex Chronis checked in at the Erlanger, Kentucky motel on November 18, 2021, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. He reportedly turned on the shower after getting up the following morning and was hit with 150-degree water.
The man allegedly fell to the ground and was burned by the hot water, the outlet reported. Two other guests reportedly went into the room and removed him from the shower after hearing him scream, the documents read. (RELATED: REPORT: Care Facility Fires 4 Nurses After Elderly Man Left In Scalding Water Dies)
Kentucky motel ordered to pay $2 million after guest dies from 150-degree shower https://t.co/iJbbnp3SQz
— osledo2021 (@osledo221) July 18, 2024
“He had to go through skin grafting because he had deep-tissue second- and third-degree burns from the scalding temperature of the shower at the hotel,” Jeffrey Blankenship, the attorney representing Chronis’ relatives, told NBC News.
Chronis was reportedly hospitalized for months before succumbing to his injuries on June 19, 2022. Chronis was single and childless, leaving his niece to file a lawsuit against the motel in his name, the outlet reported. The man’s nephew reportedly took pictures of his serious injuries at the hotel.
Specialized witnesses testified that the water’s temperature could have been no less than 150 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the outlet. The defense argued that Chronis had not stayed at the motel, Blankenship told the outlet. The motel’s lawyers reportedly indicated that they intend to appeal the ruling.
