A family of three in China recently stayed in a hotel in Foshan, Guangdong, where they were trapped in a bathroom for 4 hours due to a malfunctioning lock and a non-responsive emergency bell. During this time, the fire sprinkler system malfunctioned, and the father broke two ribs in an attempt to save his toddler. After the incident, the hotel offered compensation of 20 times the room rate, but the two parties could not reach an agreement on compensation for mental distress.
According to reports from Guangdong TV, the Fu family checked into the Lingnan Garden Hotel in Shunde District, Foshan City on September 30. Late that evening, Mr. Fu found that the bathroom door could not be opened after bathing his one-year-old son. Without their phones and with the child unclothed, Mr. Fu repeatedly pressed the SOS button near the toilet but received no response.
When the SOS signal was ineffective, Mr. Fu attempted to break the tempered glass window for ventilation, injuring his wrist in the process. He then turned on the hot water to keep the child warm, but the fire sprinkler suddenly started spraying water. In a bid to escape, Mr. Fu continued to hit the door, ultimately fracturing two ribs on his left side.
Mr. Fu lamented that their rescue was not triggered by the fire alarm but when water flooded the hallway, alerting the hotel staff to the situation around 1:20 am on October 1. He stated that if the rescue had been delayed further, his child would have been at risk of hypothermia.
Following the incident, the hotel explained that the SOS button needed to be pressed either above or below to activate it, and pressing it in the middle would not send out an alert. Regarding the bathroom door lock, an investigation revealed that the core of the lock was damaged.
The compensation issue became a point of contention between the hotel and the Fu family. The hotel claimed to have covered all medical expenses and was willing to pay for lost wages and related accommodation costs. In addition to refunding the room rate for that night, they offered additional compensation at 20 times the actual room rate, totaling around 16,000 Chinese yuan for two rooms.
However, Mr. Fu consulted a lawyer and believed that the claim, including compensation for mental distress, could amount to approximately 150,000 yuan. The specific amount still needed to be determined pending a medical evaluation. The two parties currently have differing opinions on compensation for mental distress.
Lawyer Zhang Yang mentioned that there is no uniform standard for mental distress compensation. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, litigation may be necessary, with the judge making a ruling based on the specific circumstances.