NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The family members of three tourists who died while staying at an Airbnb in Mexico City, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, urged the short-term rental company on Thursday to require detectors in the properties it lists to prevent future tragedies.
“Our main goal is to try and get the word out to those considering using short-term rentals like Airbnb,” said Jennifer Marshall, whose son, Jordan Marshall, was one of the travelers. “We want to pressure Airbnb to regulate and mandate carbon monoxide detectors in the future. It’s the only way we could think of to honor our children.”
Attorney L. Chris Stewart of Atlanta-based Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys also said a wrongful death lawsuit is slated against Airbnb and others over the incident.
“We are asking Airbnb to require all of their listings to have sensors,” he said. “They created international and national bans on parties, on weapons, on cameras. They could also easily impose carbon monoxide detectors. They know they killed people in their rentals. We know of at least three other cases.
Stewart said, however, that they are awaiting information from investigators in Mexico to determine “all defendants” before pressing charges.
The three travelers who died Oct. 30 were Kandace Florence, 28, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; his longtime friend, Jordan Marshall, 28, also from Virginia Beach but teaching in New Orleans; and Courtez Hall, 33, of New Orleans, who also taught in the city. They toured the country for Day of the Dead and were staying at the vacation rental in an upscale Mexico City neighborhood.
According to the reports, Florence contacted her boyfriend in the United States to tell him that she was feeling sick, and he contacted his Airbnb host to go see them. Authorities later found the three dead.
In a statement, Airbnb said it has suspended registration and canceled future reservations pending investigation into the incident.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the families and loved ones who mourn such an unimaginable loss. Our priority at this time is to support those affected as authorities investigate what happened, and we are ready to respond to their requests however we can,” the company said.
Airbnb said it had not yet confirmed carbon monoxide exposure was responsible for the deaths, but noted that it ran a global program providing free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to guests. carbon, of which more than 200,000 have been ordered to date.
Airbnb said it was also working with Mexican officials to promote safety practices among hosts and updating its detector program to speed up shipments to the country.
He added that the site allows potential guests to filter their searches for hosts who claim to have detectors and flags any bookings where there are none.
Jennifer Marshall said she hoped the death of her son and his friend would be a cautionary tale for fellow travellers.
“We want people to rethink how they vacation,” Marshall said. “Even if we can’t get any action from Airbnb, which would be disappointing, we hope this will raise awareness in many people. If we can’t rely on companies to put the safety of their guests first, we have to sure to do it for ourselves.”
Freida Florence, Kandace’s mother, said shedding light on Airbnb’s “shortcomings” was a priority.
“We’re asking people to take precautions,” she said. “They do not oblige or require their hosts to guarantee a carbon monoxide detector, and they should. It could really save lives. We don’t want other families to go through what we went through.
Florence also called on people to urge lawmakers to help resolve the issue.
“Our companies know better and should do better,” she said.
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