Rhode Island residents may be interested in hearing about a man who is pursuing a lawsuit against a well-known and very upscale hotel after he allegedly stuck his finger on a syringe that was in the couch in his hotel room. In addition to him being a plaintiff in the premises liability lawsuit, his wife is also listed as a plaintiff. She is alleging that she has suffered damages throughout the process as well.
According to the documents filed in court, the man was sitting on the hotel couch in his room on March 12, 2014. He accidentally dropped his cell phone, which fell between the cushion and one of the arms. He reached down to get it by sliding one of his hands between the arm and cushion. When he did this, he immediately felt a pierce and pain in his finger.
When he searched the couch, he found a hypodermic syringe, which had stuck in his finger. He received medical attention at the hospital where he was informed that there was a risk he could have been inadvertently exposed to HIV or Hepatitis C. He was put on medication as a preventive measure and was told he would need to undergo Hepatitis C screening for two years.
The man says he suffered anxiety and PTSD after he was alienated from his wife and child due to being concerned that he was infected and could pass the disease on to them. His wife says that she and her husband were not intimate for 12 months because they were afraid of potentially spreading the disease. Hotels have a duty to ensure that their customers are safe and well taken care of when on-site. Therefore, individuals in Rhode Island who have been injured as a result of a hotel’s staff negligence, such as not properly cleaning a hotel room, may want to seek professional assistance in holding the hotel responsible for its careless actions via a premises liability lawsuit.
Source: mynewsla.com, “Mondrian Hotel guest sues, claiming he was stuck by syringe in couch“, Hillary Jackson, March 8, 2016