Background: The Fairfield Inn & Suites San Jose Airport in San Jose, Calif. (Google Maps). Inset: Terril Johnson (photo from lawsuit).
The family of a California man is taking legal action against a hotel after he tragically died from severe burns sustained in a shower, just a day before he was set to attend his granddaughter’s college graduation.
Terril Johnson, aged 77, had traveled from Los Angeles to San Jose to celebrate his granddaughter’s graduation from San Jose State University. On May 22, the eve of the ceremony, Johnson checked into the Fairfield Inn & Suites near San Jose Airport. According to a lawsuit filed and reported by Law&Crime, Johnson encountered scalding hot water in the shower that led to fatal injuries, with the suit alleging the water effectively “boiled him alive.”
His grandson later discovered him unresponsive in the shower, and unfortunately, Johnson never regained consciousness.
The lawsuit, submitted to the Santa Clara County Superior Court on October 15, details the harrowing scene his family faced. They found the water temperature so extreme that they initially could not lift him from the tub. In their desperate attempts to assist, they witnessed his skin peeling from his body due to the intense heat.
When Johnson’s family finally reached him, still “partially submerged” in the dangerously hot water, they were unable to touch him without risking burns themselves, as reported in a Newsweek article.
First responders arrived and declared Johnson dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed he succumbed to “severe scalding burns” covering over 30% of his body. Additionally, his high blood pressure was noted as a contributing factor in his untimely death.
According to the lawsuit, the water temperature coming out of the shower at the Marriott International-owned hotel was 135 degrees Fahrenheit, well over the 120-degree maximum allowed by California’s Plumbing Code, The Mercury News reported. Water temperatures that high can cause third-degree burns in mere seconds.
The lawsuit stated that it was not known exactly how long Johnson was in the shower before he was found by his grandson. According to the lawsuit, he was discovered “within minutes” of getting into the water.
The Johnson family, including Johnson’s widow, to whom he was married for 54 years, is suing Marriott International for wrongful death and emotional distress. Marriott International did not immediately respond to a request for a comment from Law&Crime.
Attorneys representing the Johnson family wrote in the lawsuit, “This was not a freak accident; it was the direct result of Defendants’ gross negligence and failure to meet even basic safety obligations.”
