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Omni Houston Hotel sued over employee death during Hurricane Harvey flooding
The Omni Houston Hotel is being sued for the ‘horrific and easily preventable’ death of a worker who drowned in an elevator by raging flood waters brought on by Hurricane Harvey.
The family of Omni Hotel employee Jill Renick, 48, blames the company for not doing enough to safeguard employees.
"This hotel has a history of flooding as it sits in a low-lying area next to a river," said attorney Rob Crain.
The lawsuit alleges Renick was called by the front desk to go downstairs to the basement which had already begun flooding.
She was then trapped inside while water was coming in, the lawsuit claims and was heard ‘screaming for help and beating on the inside of the elevator.’
The suit blames the hotel for lack of planning and also names elevator maker Otis as a defendant, as there was no flood sensor fitted on any of the hotel’s elevators.
It alleges negligence and conscious disregard for its guests and employees.
"Not only was there ample warning of heavy rain accompanying Hurricane Harvey, the Omni knew their basement was flooding that morning. It is unconscionable to leave the elevators operating, to not barricade around the elevators to prevent their use," Crain said.
"In a flood, elevators are death traps."
Renick’s body was not recovered for 11 days until water had receded in the basement even though Houston Police Department divers had made several attempts to find her.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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