A pilot has launched a lawsuit against a major hotel chain after his feet were nibbled by bats in his room overnight.
The unnamed captain was advised to get a rabies jab after staying at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado.
Evidence filed by lawyers Lomena Law showed that the 46-year-old was staying at the property, owned by hospitality giant Marriott, on August 29 last year while in the city for training.
But a peaceful night’s sleep turned into a literal nightmare after the father-of-one was woken up at 2:30am by the swarm of winged mammals, which bit his feet.
On waking up in the morning, he discovered a bat clinging to the curtains, the New York Post reported.
Documents submitted to the court say the pilot attempted to block up a hole in his room’s air conditioning system with a towel, where he believed the bats managed to get in.
However, the hotel did not move him to another room when he complained to staff about his experience.
They instead advised him to get vaccinated, warning that several bats in the area had been known to carry rabies.
The injections cost him £100,000 in his hometown of Anaheim, California.
What is rabies?
As explained by the NHS, rabies is a rare but serious disease spread by bites or scratches from various mammals, including dogs, foxes, and raccoons.
In the UK it’s only found in some bats but can also be transmitted via an infected animal licking a person’s eyes, mouth, or nose or a wound.
While very rare in Britain, rabies can be found in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear but can be prevented with treatments and vaccinations.
Symptoms can include numbness on the site of the bite or scratch, hallucinations, difficulty breathing or swallowing, and paralysis.
According to the lawsuit, Marriott Hotels did offer him a sum to resolve the issue, but not enough to cover the huge medical bill.
Lawyer Edward Lomena said his client had been shaken by the experience, which had him fearing for his life over concerns he could have been infected.
‘Imagine you’re sleeping in a hotel room and you wake up and you see bats flying around. That’s scary,’ he said.
Metro has contacted Marriott Hotels for comment.
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