By accepting payment for providing service, hotels like Days Inn agree to protect the health and safety of their guests, including against bed bug infestations. This legal obligation to provide safe and hazard-free conditions is called the “duty of care.” If a Days Inn hotel breaks or “breaches” its duty of care by renting out rooms with bed bugs, the hotel may potentially be held liable for compensating any property damage, emotional trauma, and/or personal injury which results.
If your business trip or family vacation was ruined because a negligent Days Inn hotel provided bed bug infested lodgings, you deserve to have the matter reviewed by an experienced hotel infestation attorney. At Whitney, LLP, our accomplished legal team has years of experience litigating a wide variety of injury claims against hotels, motels, and resorts arising out of injuries suffered throughout Maryland. We may be able to obtain compensation for your medical expenses, lost earnings, property damage, and pain and suffering.
To start discussing your claim in a free and private case evaluation, call the law offices of Whitney, LLP at (410) 583-8000 today.
Days Inn Locations in the United States
With an international presence spanning nearly 2,000 global locations, Days Inn has come to be one of the most widely-recognized hotel franchises in the world. Since the brand’s establishment in Georgia in 1970, hundreds of Days Inn hotels have appeared throughout the United States, with some popular destinations including but not limited to:
- Baltimore, MD
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Denver, CO
- Green Bay, WI
- Houston, TX
- Los Angeles, CA
- Miami, FL
- New York, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
Days Inn is owned by the New Jersey-based Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, which also owns notable hotel brands such as Wyndham Hotels and Super 8. Therefore, Days Inn guests who were bitten by bed bugs can potentially file personal injury claims in the state of New Jersey regardless of where their hotel visit actually took place. It does not matter if your experience occurred in Virginia, California, Utah, or anywhere else: the New Jersey judiciary may still hold jurisdiction over your claim. Attorney Daniel W. Whitney, Jr. is admitted to practice law in the state of New Jersey.
Injuries and Health Problems Caused by Bed Bug Bites
Industry sources such as Scientific American, the American Camp Association, and even the CDC all assert that bed bugs are not associated with serious health risks. These outdated opinions are incorrect and do not reflect recent scientific studies show that bed bugs can transmit disease. The unfortunate result is that many people perceive bed bug bites as “annoying but harmless.” This is simply not the case. While some victims may experience minimal side effects, many others develop severe health issues which require costly treatments.
For example, frequent scratching of bed bug bites can cause the bites to open, leading to the development of a painful and highly contagious skin infection called impetigo. Without early antibiotic intervention, impetigo victims develop swollen, conspicuous facial sores which eventually burst, run, and form yellow-brown crusts. Due to its highly transmissible nature, impetigo victims are generally required to miss work while the condition heals, thereby losing earnings.
Other conditions linked to bed bugs are an even greater cause for alarm. Medical studies have shown that bed bugs can carry and transmit a parasite known as Trypanosoma cruzi, which can cause deadly illnesses like Chagas Disease. Chagas Disease can lead to fatal enlargement of the heart and other organs. Other victims suffer a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction to proteins in the bed bug’s saliva, commonly known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock.
Deadlines for Plaintiffs: Statute of Limitations
If you were bitten by bed bugs while staying at a Days Inn hotel, or if you experienced property damage resulting from a subsequent home or apartment infestation, you need to act fast — otherwise you could lose your legal recourse forever. A law called the statute of limitations, which varies by claim type and jurisdiction, places deadlines on how long plaintiffs have to initiate legal proceedings. If the statute runs out of time or “expires,” you will be unable to proceed with your claim.
The New Jersey personal injury statute of limitations, which may be applicable to bed bug claims against Days Inn hotels in cases arising in New Jersey, is two years beginning from the date the injury occurred. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the deadline set by the statute is impossible to extend. If your injury occurred in a different state, the statute of limitations may be either shorter or longer.
While two years may seem like more than enough time if your hotel experience was recent, it is always advisable to contact a hotel bed bug attorney sooner rather than later. The sooner you bring your experience to our attention, the more time will remain for us to conduct a thorough analysis of what took place. Many claims involve consulting with medical experts and obtaining lab results, which can take many weeks or months to process.
Even if you aren’t completely sure whether you have a claim or not, we encourage you to consult with us to determine your possible legal options going forward.
If you suffered from injuries and/or financial losses after staying at a Days Inn hotel with a bed bug infestation, you may be able to recover compensation. To start discussing your experience in a free and confidential legal consultation, call the experienced bed bug litigation attorneys of Whitney, LLP at (410) 583-8000 today.
We represent clients bitten by bed bugs across Maryland including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Carroll County, Charles County and Worcester County.
To learn more about how Whitney, LLP can help with bed bug legal claims, read our bed bug blogs or watch our YouTube channel for more information. Here are some of our bed bug case results.