The family of Alex Chronis, a 76-year-old Tennessee man, was awarded $2 million after a jury found that a hotel’s negligence led to his death. Chronis, a food vendor, suffered severe burns from 150-degree water while showering at an Econo Lodge in Erlanger, Kentucky, during a work trip in November 2021.
The scalding water caused Chronis to collapse in the shower. Two co-workers, who heard his screams, pulled him out. Despite using over-the-counter medication to treat his burns and continuing to work at a local festival, Chronis’s condition worsened. He later visited the emergency room but left against medical advice to return to work.
Two days after his initial hospital visit, Chronis returned and remained hospitalized for nearly five months. He underwent surgical grafting for his burns and treatment for other issues that developed during his hospital stay. In April 2022, he was transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Knoxville but did not improve. He returned to the hospital in June, where he eventually died.
Chronis’s family filed a lawsuit against the hotel owner, Sanjay Patel, claiming negligence. A Tennessee jury found that Patel “failed to exercise ordinary care in inspecting and maintaining” the hotel room, leading to the unsafe condition. The jury awarded Chronis’s estate $1.3 million for medical expenses, $250,000 for pain and suffering, $16,000 for funeral costs, and $500,000 in punitive damages.
Jeff Blankenship, the family’s lawyer, stated, “The family feels that the jury was able to see the wrongful conduct by the defendant and the resulting horrendous injuries which Alex suffered. His death was caused by complications from the serious scalding wounds that were so easily preventable had the hotel management simply had a procedure in place for their customer’s safety.”
The verdict is subject to appeal, according to court documents.
