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Family of four adults and seven children claim most had to get four rounds of rabies shots after bat found in room and released without being tested for rabies
The case is similar to that of a family on the Vegas Strip encountering a live bat in their room in 2023
A California family is suing the Nugget Hotel Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada for negligence after a live bat was found in their hotel room.
The family of 11 claim hotel staff captured and released the bat prior to it being tested for rabies, which resulted in several of the family members having to seek painful and time-consuming vaccinations.
Because the animal was not tested for rabies, 10 of the family members took public health employees’ advice to be vaccinated as a precaution, which required four rounds of shots.
The lawsuit alleges the resort failed to provide reasonably safe accommodations and seeks compensation for the alleged injuries and resulting costs.
The amount sought has not been publicly established in court filings, however, the complaint does seek damages for pain and suffering.
Even if a person is not certain they were bitten, medical professionals often recommend rabies treatment if there is a reasonable possibility of exposure because rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms begin.
Gambling911.com found a similar lawsuit was filed against MGM Resorts-owned New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in 2023 after an Arizona family discovered a live bat in their room.
According to that complaint, Marcus Rucker and his family came from Phoenix to Las Vegas in April last year for a volleyball tournament. The Ruckers were asleep in their room when he woke up to a noise coming from the curtains, where he found a live bat.
Rucker killed the bat, put it into a cup, and left the cup inside a nearby stairwell, the suit alleges. He later reported the discovery to the hotel front desk. The hotel then disposed of the bat prior to any testing done to determine if it was infected with rabies.
The plaintiffs were seeking at least $15,000 in damages for medical expenses and pain and suffering.
It was not immediately known what came of this suit.
Just under 1 percent of bats are believed to carry rabies, however, bat teeth are very small and bites could go unnoticed.
Someone who was asleep, a young child, or a person unable to reliably say whether they were bitten may not realize they had contact.
Nevada is home to about 23 bat species, many of which live in northern Nevada, including around Reno.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
