Bed bugs may be small, but they can cause a lot of harm. Thousands of people are injured because of bed bug bites every year. Many hotels and apartment complexes in California, including those in Bakersfield, have seen an increase in bed bugs in recent years. Landlords and hotel owners can be liable if guests or tenants suffer bed bug-related injuries.
Do you have a bed bug injury? You may be entitled to compensation if a negligent landlord, innkeeper, or hotel owner is to blame. The Bakersfield bed bug lawyers at Bakersfield Personal Injury Law can help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Call our experienced legal team today to schedule a free consultation and learn more.
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Why Should I Call a Bakersfield Bed Bug Injury Lawyer?
Don’t underestimate how a bed bug bite can affect your life. A single bite can cause debilitating physical, psychological, and financial injuries. Your injuries aren’t your fault. You shouldn’t have to deal with the consequences on your own. Filing a lawsuit can allow you to recover much-needed compensation as you work to get back on your feet.
While you can seek compensation on your own, it’s smart to hire an experienced personal injury attorney. You’re much more likely to recover a fair settlement with an attorney by your side.
Here’s why you should call Bakersfield Personal Injury Law for help with your Bakersfield bed bug injury case:
- You may not know what your bed bug injury case is worth
- You may not know who to blame for your bed bug bite injuries
- Proving negligence in bed bug injury cases can be difficult
- Hotel owners and landlords will probably try to blame you for your own injuries
- Insurance companies would prefer that you handle negotiations on your own.
For more than 17 years, our attorneys have been fighting to help bed bug bite victims like you. We’re here to help you get the money you need and deserve. It’s our goal to make sure that you are fairly compensated for your bed bug injuries. Call our Bakersfield personal injury lawyers today to learn more.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects about the size of an apple seed. They’re drawn to carbon dioxide, heat, and moisture, which makes your bed a prime target. Even though they’re called bed bugs, these insects can also be found in your clothes, linens, furniture, and luggage. Bed bugs have even been discovered behind wallpaper in some cases.
Bed bugs survive by burrowing under the skin of warm-blooded mammals. Once they find a vessel, they feed on the host’s blood. Surprisingly, bed bugs can survive for months without feeding. This can make it very difficult to get rid of bed bugs once an infestation exists.
Bed Bug Injuries
Even though bed bugs aren’t believed to transmit disease or infection, their bites can cause serious damage. Commonly reported bed bug bite injuries include:
- Rashes
- Cuts and abrasions
- Infection
- Anemia
- Disfigurement
- Tissue damage, and
- Allergic reaction.
Bed Bugs and Psychological Harm
Bed bugs don’t just pose a threat to your physical health and wellbeing. Many bed bug bite victims experience severe psychological trauma. Why? Experts explain that “bedbugs are particularly disturbing because they invade such an intimate and personal space.”
If you’re dealing with bed bugs your sleep may be disrupted, which can adversely affect your entire life. You may also begin to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some victims of bed bug attacks withdraw from their social circles, fearing that others will think they’re dirty or unclean.
A bed bug infestation may also force you to find a new place to live temporarily or permanently. This can cause added stress and aggravate your emotional suffering.
You don’t’ have to suffer from the consequences of a bed bug attack alone. Contact Bakersfield Personal Injury Law to find out how our attorneys can help you demand compensation for your injuries. Your first consultation is free, so call for help now.
Liability for Bed Bug Bites in Bakersfield
When you rent an apartment or hotel room, you expect that it will be clean and free from bed bugs. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Thousands of renters and hotel guests are injured because of bed bug infestations every year. Three cities in California, including nearby Los Angeles, recently ranked among the top bed bug cities in the nation.
You may have the right to file a lawsuit if you suffer bed bug bites at a Bakersfield hotel or apartment building. Landlords and innkeepers have a legal responsibility to make sure that you have a clean and safe place to stay. Specifically,
Landlords and innkeepers in Bakersfield have a responsibility to make sure that you have a clean and habitable place to stay. When they don’t, bed bug infestations and attacks can happen.
Bakersfield Apartment Building Landlord Liability
Renters in Bakersfield are protected by what is known as an implied warranty of habitability. This basically protects your right to rent an apartment that is “in a condition fit for human beings to live in.” Landlords must comply with building and safety codes that affect your health and safety.
If your apartment has bed bugs, your home is not habitable. Your landlord can be responsible for your injuries if they knew, or should have known, about the infestation. In other words, if your landlord was notified about bed bugs in the building or saw evidence of an infestation – and did nothing about it – they can be held responsible for your harm.
Bakersfield Hotel Owner Liability
When you rent a furnished hotel room in Bakersfield, you have the right to stay somewhere that’s clean and safe. To make sure this happens, California law imposes certain requirements on hotel owners. Hotels and other places that rent out furnished rooms must:
- Keep beds, mattresses, sheets, blankets, and bedding in “clean, dry, and sanitary condition” free from filth and bed bugs; and
- Change linens when a new guest rents a room.
When hotels don’t comply with state law, they can be liable for injuries that are caused by bed bug infestations. However, the hotel must have known about or negligently ignored evidence of the infestation.
Compensation Available to Bed Bug Bite Victims
Bed bugs may be small, but they can do a lot of damage. An outbreak can cause extensive damage to property, inflict physical injury, and cause severe emotional suffering. The financial costs of these injuries can be more than you can handle on your own. Filing a lawsuit against a negligent landlord or hotel owner can allow you to recover the money you need and deserve.
At Bakersfield Personal Injury Law, our experienced bed bug lawyers will demand damages on your behalf. You may be entitled to compensation for:
- Medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Counseling
- Property damage
- Lost wages, present and future
- Disability, temporary and permanent
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life, and more.
We have developed strong professional relationships with some of the most respected health, medical, and vocational experts in the state of California. Their insight and input can be invaluable in the pursuit of compensation. We’ll work with these experts to make sure that your case is valued properly and that you are fairly compensated for your injuries.
Need Help?
Are you dealing with a painful bed bug bite injury? Is a negligent hotel owner or landlord to blame? You may have the right to recover compensation for your injuries and suffering. The Bakersfield bed bug injury lawyers can help you maximize your financial award. Contact our law firm to schedule a free case assessment. You have a limited amount of time to file a claim, so do not hesitate to call for help today.