Missouri hotel faces lawsuit over hazardous pool chemical use

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Three families from Jefferson County, Missouri, have filed a lawsuit against the Grand Plaza Hotel in Branson, alleging that the hotel’s careless handling of pool maintenance endangered their health. The lawsuit claims that during Mother’s Day weekend in May 2021, hotel staff applied potent cleaning chemicals to the pool while guests were present, despite product warnings that stated it was unsafe to do so. As a consequence, multiple children needed medical care, including one girl who sustained lasting injuries to her lungs and throat.

Despite explicit cautions on the product about the risk of death, permanent eye damage, and skin burns, the lawsuit alleges that the hotel’s maintenance team failed to alert guests or take necessary precautions when dispersing the chemicals, leading to immediate and severe reactions among the swimmers, such as eye and skin irritation, difficulty breathing, nosebleeds, and vomiting.

D.L., a mother whose three children were harmed in the incident, expressed her horror, noting the irony of the event occurring on Mother’s Day, a time meant for celebrating motherhood and family.

The families, in town for a youth baseball tournament, were attracted to the Grand Plaza Hotel for its advertised amenities meant to provide relaxation and rejuvenation. Instead, they encountered a situation that endangered their health.

Further inquiry by the Branson Police Department uncovered that a hotel employee had not only mishandled the chemical treatment of the pool, shocking it twice with guests inside but also failed to properly log these actions.

Chris Finney, the attorney from Finney Injury Law representing the families, criticized the Grand Plaza Hotel for its blatant negligence, highlighting the disregard for safety protocols and proper record-keeping, which compromised the wellbeing of their guests.

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