A family visiting Las Vegas from Phoenix is suing New York-New York Hotel and Casino after potentially contracting rabies when a live bat was found in their room.
The ordeal unfolded in April when Marcus Rucker and his family were visiting Sin City for a volleyball tournament. According to a lawsuit filed, it was their last night there and two of their children’s friends were in the room.
Shortly before dawn, Rucker said he was awoken by a noise coming from the window.
“I found a bat in the room,” Rucker told 12News.
He said the bat was alive and dangling on the curtains.
“Unfortunately, I had to kill the bat. I didn’t want it to bite anybody in the room,” Rucker said. “We told the hotel where the bat was.”
He added that he placed the bat in a cup and set it outside his hotel room door. He then reported the incident to hotel staff and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
He was then informed that he and his family seek immediate treatment for exposure to rabies.
“They [the hotel] disposed of the bat,” Rucker said, adding that he and his family underwent an agonizing procedure of rabies treatment.
“I had to get two shots on my leg, one on my shoulder initially the first day, and we had to get subsequent shots for the next three weeks,” Rucker said. “Very, very stressful for my family, for my kids.”
Rucker is seeking $15,000 in past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. In the lawsuit, it states the hotel was negligent in “failing to inspect the room” and “make the premises safe from hazardous conditions.”
“It was emotionally distressing,” Rucker said.
Meanwhile, a 20-year employee with Burns Pest Elimination said he frequently receives complaints about bats being inside the hotel.
“We get a lot of calls with bats being inside,” Juan Ortiz said. “This time of year they’re passing through here and that’s why they’re so common.”
New York-New York Hotel has yet to comment at the time of this writing.
Ortiz recommends having your home looked at to ensure all cracks and vents are closed off. He said if you find a bat in your home, do not go near it. Call a professional to have it removed.
Ortiz said breathing in bat droppings can also be toxic and can lead to a fungal disease.
“You don’t want to get bit by a bat,” Ortiz said.
If you are bit by a bat or believe you may have been in contact with one, experts say you should seek rabies prevention treatment immediately.
