Kentucky motel ordered to pay $2 million after guest dies in 150-degree shower

The family of a 76-year-old Kentucky man has been awarded a more than $2 million settlement in his death from second- and third-degree burns suffered in a scalding motel shower where the water temperature reached at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Court documents in the lawsuit allege that Alex Chronis checked into the Econo Lodge in Erlanger, Kentucky on November 18, 2021. The next morning, he turned on the shower and was immediately hit by extremely hot water that knocked him to the floor as the water continued to burn him. The two people who were in the motel with Chronis heard his screams and pulled him out of the tub.

“He had to have a skin graft because he suffered deep second- and third-degree burns from the scalding temperature of the hotel shower,” Jeffrey Blankenship, Chronis’ family attorney, told NBC News on Thursday.

After spending several months in the hospital, Chronis finally died on June 19, 2022. Chronis never married and had no children, so his niece filed a lawsuit against the motel on his behalf.

Expert testimony revealed that the water temperature was at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Photos taken by Chronis’ nephew, who was with him at the motel, showed areas of severely damaged and discolored skin all over Chronis’ legs.

The final order, issued by the court on July 11, awarded Chronis’ estate $1,271,486.60 to cover medical expenses, $16,058.73 for funeral expenses, $250,000 for pain and suffering and $500,000 for punitive damages. The defense had 30 days from the order to file an appeal.

The defense claimed Chronis didn’t even stay at the motel, Blankenship said. Defense attorneys declined to comment, citing the pending appeal.