Kentucky motel ordered to pay $2M after fatal scalding shower incident

(CNN) — A jury awarded $2 million to the estate of a man who died months after being “scalded and severely burned” by water from a shower in his Kentucky motel room, according to a lawsuit.

Alex Chronis, then 76 years old, sustained third-degree burns on his body at the Econo Lodge in Erlanger, Kentucky, which ultimately resulted in his “untimely and wrongful death,” on June 19, 2022. according to the complaint filed by Chronis’ niece.

On November 19, 2021, Chronis attempted to take a shower but was “almost immediately bombarded with scalding hot water which knocked him to the floor of the shower tub where the water continued to scald him,” the complaint states.

Two associates of Chronis rushed to his aid after hearing his fall and screams, according to the complaint.

The shower delivered water at an “extremely excessive temperature,” the complaint stated. The temperature was more than 150 degrees, according to Chronis’ family attorney, N. Jeffrey Blankenship. Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150-degree water for two seconds, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Chronis, a food vendor visiting the Cincinnati region for work, initially used nonprescription medicine for his burns before working at a local festival, according to Blankenship. He went to a nearby hospital but left to return to work, Blankenship added.

Two days later, Chronis returned to the hospital for skin graft surgery and remained hospitalized for nearly five months, according to the complaint.

In April 2022, Chronis was transferred to a rehabilitation facility in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, Blankenship said. He spent months in the hospital after the incident, underwent numerous medical procedures, and endured “substantial conscious pain and suffering” before ultimately dying from his injuries on June 19, 2022, according to the complaint.

The jury found the motel owner, Sanjay Patel, “failed to exercise ordinary care in inspecting and maintaining their hotel rooms in a reasonably safe condition for the use of their guests,” according to the trial order and judgment.

According to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website, Patel owns Aspyn, LLC, which operates the Econo Lodge in Erlanger, which was also named as a defendant in the suit.

The judgment, filed on July 3, awarded Chronis’ estate nearly $1.3 million to cover medical expenses, $250,000 for pain and suffering, more than $16,000 for funeral costs, and $500,000 in punitive damages.

CNN has reached out to Patel’s attorney, Lindsay Rump, for comment.

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