Two Alabama families have sued Vision Hospitality over the condition of the swimming pool at Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Chattanooga.
Plaintiffs are Charles and Ashley Keith and William and Amy Martin.
The suit also names Hampton Inns Management LLC.
The families from Greenville, Ala. said they checked into the hotel on March 26, 2021. They then took their children to swim in the indoor area of the pool.
They said they brought in dinner on March 27 with plans to eat around the pool. The suit says four-year-old E.C. Keith exited the pool complaining of burning in her private region. Mrs. Keith looked at the area and found no obvious issue. E.C. continued swimming without issue.
On March 29, the parents took E.C. Keith, M.P. Keith (two years old) and W.C. Martin (five years old) to the pool to swim around 8:30 a.m. After less than an hour, E.C. Keith began complaining of a stomach ache and got out of the pool, it was stated. She appeared disoriented, and Ashley Keith went to the lobby to get a drink and snack for her.
W.C. Martin got out of the pool with complaints of stomach pain.
M.P. Keith also got out of the pool.
The suit says M.P. and W.C. got back into the pool and, within a few minutes, W.C. got out of the pool and M.P., who was near a light pole, began crying and put her hands to her mouth. It says she got out of the pool, but was not walking correctly.
Mrs. Keith picked her up and sat with her. The suit says M.P.'s eyes rolled back and she became unresponsive. Mrs. Keith plead for someone to call 911. At this point, M.P. was unconscious, it was stated.
The suit says M.P. was placed on the floor, and Mrs. Keith tried to revive her. She tried to call 911 from the pool phone, but it was not working.
It says several bystanders with medical backgrounds came to assist.
The suit says E.C. became pale and disoriented. E.C. and M.P. went with Mrs. Keith in the ambulance, and M.P. was unresponsive throughout the trip to Erlanger Hospital, it was stated.
W.C., who was born with an atrial septal defect and who was also experiencing the same symptoms, was also transported to the hospital.
The suit says the physician at the hospital contacted the Hamilton County Health Department and Poison Control.
The children were treated and released. The discharge diagnosis was chemical reaction/exposure, the suit says.
Hospital notes said, "The child does not smell like chlorine." The notes said the hotel advised the hospital that the chlorine levels were normal.
The complaint says all of the children suffered from syncope, pain in their legs and burning to their genital region.
It says W.C. continues to suffer from recurring rashes and M.P. has had multiple episodes of syncope, fevers, chills, sleep disturbances, muscle aches, fatigue and weight loss. She has episodes of hypoglycemia and has developed chronic sinusitis resulting in multiple sinus surgeries and double ear infections "attributed to the bacteria in the hotel pool water. She has suffered from mucosal thickening and silent seizures, it was stated.
The suit says the health department inspected the pool on March 29, 2021, and found multiple violations, including with electrical systems, illumination, chemical storage, gas chlorination, lifesaving equipment and the phone.
It states, "There were also problems with water temperature, turbidity and disinfecting methods, as well as positive bacteriological test results and no approved sanitizing residual. It was found to be completely devoid of chlorine and the Cyanuric Acid Stabilizer was found to be too high. There were also problems with cross connections, sewage disposal and water supply, and the pool was ordered closed."
The suit claims that nine days earlier the hotel had been notified of numerous problems with the pool, but they had not been corrected.
The parents alleged emotional and economical damages.
The suit was filed in Circuit Court by Chattanooga attorneys Steven Dobson and Eric Burnette and Union Springs, Ala., attorney Elizabeth Littell Courson.