Bed bug Scars Leads to Million-Dollar Settlement
A California family is awarded 1.6 million dollars in a victory over an Inglewood apartment complex that failed to adhere to proper procedures in eradicating a several months-long bed bug infestation.
The family had two young children, the infant daughter who slept in the crib, and a toddler. Both children were victims of excessive bug bites. The 3-year old was in such a state of discomfort that he scratched himself constantly causing scars that still exist today; 6 years after the bed bug ordeal.
What happened next? The family alerted the management of the apartment complex once the bite diagnosis was confirmed as bed bugs. Once alerted, the management team at Kahala Islander Apartments instructed Mrs. Martinez to immediately throw her furniture away. The next step the apartment complex took was to treat the infestation with chemicals. Use of toxic chemicals unfortunately, is often the default method used when treating for bed bugs.
With no furniture and no other place to stay, the family was forced to sleep on the chemical-treated floors of the apartment once it was safe to re-enter the home.
It did not take long for the insects to return and biting to begin again. Like in most cases, treating a bed bug infestation is challenging and often requires repeated applications or routine maintenance to make sure that the entire population is wiped out.
If only the family or the hired pest control company was are aware of EcoRaider. To integrate natural product like EcoRaider, eliminates the need for evacuation of any kind. Leaving your home is a hassle but with young babes to care for, this creates more of a situation.
EcoRaider’s customer service team accurately points out what the EPA regulation allows. For example, it is not necessary to discard salvageable furniture because it can be treated. Laid out in EcoRaider’s step-by-step instruction plan are explicit details on how to go about applying the spray to furniture, i.e. beds, clothing, and linens.
Think about the sleeplessness, the anxiety, humiliation, shame that followed in the weeks and months ahead that would permit this small family of four the largest monetary sum in such a case. Now, six years after the ordeal, the court wisely granted this family some piece of mind.
Though this is extraordinary outcome, such human interest stories are important to illuminate because the content is so relatable. Insect and vermin infestations are common problems among millions of Americans households. It is important to know why certain treatments are not always effective.
Resistance to certain insecticides is the main cause behind persistent infestations. Rotation of chemicals and substituting insecticides routinely will combat resistance problems. Also, it is important to read and follow the label instructions carefully to verify that the ingredients differ from recent treatments.
EcoRaider can be used as a standalone treatment or as part of a rotation program to control resistant bedbug strains while avoiding further resistance programs.
It is a botanical based insecticide that attacks receptors that do not exist in vertebrates. It does not contain any synthetic compounds that bedbugs have demonstrated resistance to.
Virag, the family’s attorney and who specializes in bedbug litigation through his firm, says he hopes the verdict sends a wake-up call to other management companies when it comes to being proactive—rather than reactive—when responding to bedbug complaints from tenants.
Incorporating EcoRaider into the bug treatment rotation will cut the need to follow the foolish advice of discarding household items. Doing this can cause others problems like financial distress and agitate physical discomfort in the home.
EcoRaider is also a safe, non-toxic alternative used by pest control companies that allow families access to the home while spraying is taking place and there is no need to relocate.
We can only hope the mismanagement shown on part by the owners of Kahala Islander complex, along with thousands of other low-income apartment dwellings will learn from this punishment, and incorporate tested and safer methods for eliminating parasitic insect infestations.
Source: People.com California Family Gets $1.6 Million after 3-Year-Old Is Scarred by Bedbug Bites
