With the re-emergence of bed bugs across the U.S., some residents and visitors to Tennessee sometimes suffer the devastating physical and emotional suffering associated with bed bugs. People also potentially suffer loss of personal property, lost wages, medical bills and other losses related to bed bugs.
Receive a free consultation regarding your Tennessee bed bug case representation.
Where are bed bugs found?
While your bed is a common place to find bed bugs, bed bugs also hide in upholstered furniture. They live in drawers and crevices of furniture. Bed bugs hide behind pictures and clocks on your walls.
Check your baseboards, which are another common place to find bed bugs. If you think you have bed bugs, make sure you check behind electrical outlets and switch plates.
I am a clean person. How did I get bed bugs?
Anyone can get bed bugs. In fact, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture points out that around 20 percent of residences had bed bugs in 2005. By the end of 2012, “Bed bugs were reported in 60 percent of Tennessee counties and could well be more widespread than reported.”
Bed bugs easily travel along with you when you return home from a hotel stay, hiding in your luggage or clothing. Bed bugs likely arrive at some Tennessee homes when retail or furniture stores deliver newly purchased or rented furniture.
Each female bed bug can deposit up to five eggs a day and well over 100 eggs within her life. It takes six to ten days after the female lays eggs for the nymph to emerge from each egg. The UT Extension explains that the nymph has the ability to live for up to three months without a blood meal and that adult bed bugs potentially survive up to a full year with no blood meal. This helps explain why some people might discover their previously vacant Tennessee residence already has a bed bug infestation.
If your Tennessee place of employment has bed bugs, you could potentially sustain bed bug bites at work or bring them home with you.
People traveling to Tennessee and staying in a hotel may not know the hotel has a bed bug infestation until after suffering bites from bed bugs. Other people may not know until returning home from their trip that bed bugs hitched a ride from the hotel.
Hire the best bed bug bite lawyers in Tennessee
You’ll find bed bugs all throughout Tennessee, including large cities such as Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Clarksville, which means any facility can experience an infestation in the state. We represent clients on a pre-litigation basis throughout the state.
Our Tennessee bed bug attorneys can also provide representation in cities such as:
- Gatlinburg
- Johnson City
- Jackson
- Sevierville
- Kingsport
- Oak Ridge
Is it true that bed bugs cannot cause illness?
The least of the consequences of suffering bed bug bites is the red bumps or welts that usually cause intense itching. Some people scratch the bites into an infection. You can also potentially suffer an allergic reaction. Some people report asthmatic symptoms after suffering bed bug bites.
Research also demonstrates that bed bugs carry and transmit disease. The Lancet reported on study results released in 1977 detailing experiments conducted in Senegal. In “Hepatitis B Virus in Bed Bugs (CimexHemipterus) From Senegal,” researchers collected four samples of bed bugs from huts of villagers on different occasions. After a series of experiments, the researchers concluded these bed bugs were “The highest field infection rates of hepatitis-B virus reported in any insect species.” Researchers stated the bed bug “must be” considered a potential vector of Hepatitis B.
In 2015, PLOS Journal published results of a study that showed Bartonella Quintana, an agent for trench fever, as well as other diseases, in bed bugs. After two separate trials, researchers concluded bed bugs “May play a role as vectors of trench fever or other diseases caused by B. quintana.”
Recent research also indicates that bed bugs transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that causes Chagas disease, considered “One of the most prevalent and deadly diseases in the Americas.” Science Daily describes the experiments conducted during the study and quotes senior author Michael Z. Levy, PhD, who says, “We’ve shown that the bed bug can acquire and transmit the parasite.”
Can I sue a hotel in Tennessee for a bed bug bite infestation?
Unfortunately, hotels can experience mild to severe bed bug infestations if management and staff are negligent and fail to maintain each room. If you or a loved one have experienced bed bug bites in a hotel or motel, you may be eligible for compensation with the help of our attorneys. By representing you to receive compensation, we may also be able to help ensure that future infestations don’t occur.
Hire a bed bug attorney in Tennessee today
When you suffer from bed bug bites or infestation due to negligence of others, you potentially incur numerous losses.
Get a free consultation from a pre-litigation Tennessee bed bug lawyers regarding your Tennessee bed bug case pre-suit representation.