A woman is suing Airbnb for $1.3 million after her husband fell ill and died after using a contaminated hot tub in their Airbnb rental in Gozo, Malta in 2016.
Sandra Bermingham, 54, her husband Paul and their two children Darragh, 10, and Kate, 12, used the Airbnb website to book their two-week Christmas vacation in Gozo, Malta, in 2016. However, after having used the hot tub in their Airbnb Holiday Home on New Years Eve, when the family returned to their home in Islington, North London, Paul fell ill and was immediately rushed to hospital in Whittington for treatment there and was put into an induced coma. Daily mail reported.
Despite the doctor’s lifesaving efforts, Paul sadly died two weeks after returning home and his death was ruled by a coroner as Legionella pneumonia.
Legionella bacteria cause a serious lung infection called Legionnaires’ disease in people who contract the bacteria. Even though the bacteria cannot be transmitted from person to person, it is usually spread by inhaling small droplets of infected water and hot tubs are a breeding ground for bacteria if not properly cleaned. cleaned.
“Paul has only been in the hot tub once on New Years Eve and he was in the water for a few seconds. The bacteria is airborne and I think he was infected shortly after arriving at the farm,” Sandra said.
Since her husband’s death in 2016, Sandra has been engaged in a six-year legal battle with Airbnb. She believes the tainted spa is the culprit that took her husband’s life and plans to sue the company for $1.3 million in compensation, the sun reported.
“I don’t think the hot tub had been properly maintained and hadn’t been used for some time prior to our arrival,” Sandra said.
“Holidays were supposed to be a break we could all enjoy, but it ruined our family life,” she added.
Sandra said the company ignored all of her claims and refused to compensate her family for her husband’s wrongful death. She added that Airbnb was also refusing to investigate the property containing the contaminated spa.
Sandra started a GoFundMe page to help pay for her family’s legal costs in the legal battle against Airbnb.
“Since I will not give up, I need funding for legal proceedings to fight against Airbnb in Malta for compensation,” she said.
“I want the world to know how Airbnb works, making tons of money on our backs and giving up responsibility when things go horribly wrong at the homes they make their billions from,” Sandra added.
Meanwhile, an Airbnb spokesperson said: “We were heartbroken to learn of this tragic incident at the time and our thoughts remain with the Bermingham family following such an unimaginable loss. We remain in contact. with family representatives about this. The safety of our community is a priority and with more than one billion guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date, isolated incidents are exceptionally rare.”
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