In a tragic turn of events, what was supposed to be a relaxing stay at a hotel, turned out to be a tragic death. Terence Johnson, a 72 year old veteran of the US Marine Corps, checked into the Fairfield by Marriott Suites near San Jose Airport. Johnson was a US marine who served in Vietnam.
As per the lawsuit filed by his family, the shower water temperature was so high that it effectively boiled him to death.
Scalding Shower leads to tragic death
On May 22nd, Johnson drove six hours and was supposed to check into the Fairfield by Marriott Suites San Jose Airport to see his gymnast daughter graduate from San Jose State University. After checking into the hotel, he opted to take a shower. That’s when the tragic incident happened.
As per court documents, the water temperature was significantly higher than what’s permitted as per law. The lawsuit alleges that the high water temperature effective boiled Johnson alive.
The family only found out about the tragic death when Johnson’s grandson checked in and found his grandfather partially submerged in the bathtub, as per KTLA5.
It was Johnson’s grandson who went into the bathroom to check on his grandfather and found him unresponsive, partially submerged in the bathtub in water so hot that family members were unable to immediately pull him out.
According to The Mercury News, the 72-year-old’s son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters, including Trinity who was to graduate the next day, were present in the hotel room at the time.
The water temperature was so hot that the family was not able to pull him out right away.
Plumbing code in California for individual showers and tub showers, according to The Times, should be no hotter than 120 degrees. The suit alleges that the water coming from the hotel shower was between 134 to 136 degrees.
The medical examiner concluded his death was caused by severe scalding. The primary reason being burns covering more than 33% of his body. The family’s attorney described the incident as “not a freak accident”, Instead, the attorney blamed the direct result of “gross negligence and failure to meet even basic safety obligations”.
The Pundit’s Mantra
While one can only call this a freak incident, as per the lawsuit, one can clearly see that the water temperature was significantly higher than what it was supposed to be.
We often write about the beat aspects of travel on this blog. We discuss luxury, be it in the form of hotel suites of premium cabins. However, when basic safety is at risk, there should be the highest level of accountability. In this case, I hope the investigations into the case and its resolution offer some closure to Johnson’s family.
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