What should have been a joyful family trip to celebrate a granddaughter’s graduation turned into a devastating tragedy — and now the family is taking legal action. Relatives of 72-year-old US Marine veteran Terril Johnson say he died tragically after stepping into a dangerously hot hotel shower in San Jose, and they are demanding answers from the hotel about how something so preventable could happen.
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Johnson’s family says hotel shower ‘boiled’ him alive
According to a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Santa Clara County Superior Court, Terril Johnson’s family claims dangerously hot shower water — reaching temperatures of up to 136 degrees — led to his death. To celebrate her granddaughter’s graduation from San Jose State University, Johnson drove six hours from Los Angeles with her loved ones. Upon arrival, he checked into the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites near the San Jose Airport on May 22. But what started as a moment of family joy ended in devastation when Johnson walked into what the family’s lawsuit describes as a shower that “actually boiled him alive.»
Grandson finds sailor in boiling water
As court documents revealed, it was Johnson’s grandson who made the gruesome discovery. He reportedly found his grandfather unconscious and partially submerged in water so hot that his relatives were unable to pull him out immediately. Family members, including Johnson’s son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters, reportedly watched in horror as they tried to save him. The Santa Clara County medical examiner later confirmed that Johnson suffered burns to more than 33 percent of his body. Additionally, the injuries were so severe that they ultimately led to his death.
Hot water horror triggers lawsuit against hotel
Johnson’s family describes him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather and proud Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. Additionally, he had been married to his high school sweetheart for 54 years and had recently retired from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. Their lawsuit argues that this tragedy could have been avoided, saying the hotel failed to follow basic safety standards. California plumbing code limits water temperatures in showers to 120 degrees. However, the complaint alleges that the water level reached 136.”It wasn’t a freak accident“, the lawsuit states. “This was the direct result of the defendant’s gross negligence and failure to comply with even its basic safety obligations.
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