Re: Hantavirus victim sues park resort manager for $3 million

Cathy Carrillo, who contracted hantavirus at Yosemite National Park, sues park resort manager for millions

Carrillo was in critical care for three weeks and in rehab for 10 days following outbreak of the deadly virus that killed three people. The virus was transmitted by mice droppings, urine or saliva.

New York Daily News article

It's sickening how people seek out these ridiculously high paydays. And even more insane that judges and juries award them.

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Ohnivy-Drak
It's sickening how people seek out these ridiculously high paydays. And even more insane that judges and juries award them.

Not with the huge expenses incurred in this case that were due to DNC's rodent infested cabins.

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eeek

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Ohnivy-Drak
It's sickening how people seek out these ridiculously high paydays. And even more insane that judges and juries award them.

Not with the huge expenses incurred in this case that were due to DNC's rodent infested cabins.

Medical expenses that came out of her own pocket due to lack of insurance coverage, I'll assume?

These things are hard to control. I'm not saying DNC is completely without blame, but our tendency to sue has gotten WAY out of hand. You're in the forest for Pete's sake, expect some mice! It should be noted that this is not intended to show support for DNC. As a corporation making millions off of a public park, they should make efforts to prevent incidences like these, but they DO HAPPEN. People need to understand that no matter how many paved roads and cabins we put up, we are in Nature's arena. Plus, if it weren't for these confined places we eat and sleep in plopped right in the middle of this ecosystem, we would never even be exposed to Haunta. Our sense of detachment from the ways of Nature and our sense of entitlement to visit it are way out of balance.

Any updates on this case?

Here's a link to the ABC 30 Action News (Fresno) video of the women explaining the reasons behind the lawsuit:

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/video?id=9087128

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Thanks for the video. It's not at all clear that DNC was negligent, just because her lawyer chooses to say so....

I agree that we live in a culture that thinks that if you get hurt, you have won the jackpot. You''ll notice that she isn't seeking payment for her medical bills, but rather for however much a jury can be persuaded to give her.

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wherever

Thanks for the video. It's not at all clear that DNC was negligent, just because her lawyer chooses to say so....

But I would say that DNC has been negligent (though I'm no lawyer) not because her lawyer says so but because in my many years of experience in dealing with DNC, they had – until late last summer – a very nonchalant atitude in dealing with vermin in the guest rooms of their lodging throughout the park.

Before anyone says we should expect to sleep in vermin infested rooms in Yosemite because it's "wilderness", first let me explain that all of DNC lodging accommodation inside Yosemite Valley is NOT located in designated wilderness. It's parkland but parkland with no excess amount of rodents than let's say Central Park in NYC or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. More importantly, Curry Village (along with the Yosemite Lodge and the Ahwahnee hotels) are designated public accommodations that must meet basic public health codes to be legally able to rent rooms to guests and one of the requirements is that the guest rooms cannot be infested with nesting vermin like the Signature Tent Cabins were.

Most other hotel properties have a very active vermin extermination policy for obvious reasons. But DNC, over the years, did not. Anyone who ever went up to the front desk to complain about mice in their room would know that firsthand.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2013 08:00PM by plawrence.

I must comment on DNC's "rodent policies" and attitudes. In recent years I've been staying in the Curry tent cabins. In the end of Oct 2010 a mouse got in through the closed and padlocked bear box at my cabin(through the side holes). I reported this to the front desk and they seemed to be well aware of this problem. I was given a discount on my bill. Last year again I stayed in a tent cabin-in mid Sept. The NPS was out in full force cleaning the campground bear boxes and patching any holes. Not DNS. I just returned yesterday from Yosemite- and yes, in the same tent as last year! Same holes in the bear boxes. In fact the duct tape I placed over the holes on the inside of the bear box was still there! Do you think DNS bleached their bear boxes? (I did mine!).

Being a medical professional lawyers and medical law suits are not my favorite thing, however-this woman was very seriously ill! Her medical bills must have been enormous-insurance or not. Do you have any idea what a day in ICU costs? Not to mention the lawyer's cut! Or the insurance company payback.
if DNC is deemed liable? If she is only suing for pain and suffering-maybe that's why?

But then again I probably am like plawrence an am more than a bit jaded by DNC

Five years ago we stayed at an Ahwahnee cottage for our 20th anniversary. The stay was unsatisfactory for many reason and one was room maintenance and lack of cleaning. Being in the cottages means that sometimes mice do get in the room but we did not see any until the morning we left. We were checking around to see if we had left anything behind. I looked under the bed and there was a dead mouse in a mouse trap. It was not only dead it had dessicated to the point that it looked like jerky and who knows how many months it had been dead. When I called so they could make sure they removed it before the next guest arrived, the front desk's comment was that we are in the park so mice get into the rooms. I said that I am well aware of that but I do expect if they set traps, they check them daily. I wonder how long it took them to remove it. The dead mouse did not bother us as much as the fact that when we went to use the glasses in the bathroom, they had dried orange juice in the bottom so they did not even give us clean glasses. One star service at 5 star prices.

It may sound like a lot of money for a lawsuit. But how much does DNC make in profit each year? If the amount sought in a lawsuit is not high enough to actually grab the attention of the company or management involved. They do not have much incentive to change their practices which caused the injury in the first place. DNC is an invisible organization that holds a monopoly on park concessions and lodging. There is no costumer service contact that actually leads to anyone with power or authority that cares about what your experience in their establishments is like. So, suing is the only recourse. Further more, the DNC employees are often housed in terrible conditions and are paid little for their time and work from what I have read and heard. Yet, they are the only ones who get to hear all the complaints and problems of the guests that stay in the parks. I am sure that they care, but feel just as powerless and helpless to do anything significant to effect real change. If I had a reason to sue DNC, I would do so for a much larger amount than 3 million. After winning my suit, I would pay off all bills incurred from the injury done to me and my lawyers. Donate the rest to the Conservancy. Then sue the government for lack of oversight, quality control, and costumer care regarding DNC.

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thechief
It may sound like a lot of money for a lawsuit. But how much does DNC make in profit each year? If the amount sought in a lawsuit is not high enough to actually grab the attention of the company or management involved. They do not have much incentive to change their practices which caused the injury in the first place.......

That's not true at all. DNC changed the way they do things regarding Hanta Virus immediately. I guess the incentive of being responsible and doing the right thing worked.