A former Michigan teacher is suing a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip, claiming he was electrocuted by a faulty light bulb in a hotel room.
David Van Horn, of Newaygo County, Mich., filed a lawsuit in the 8th Judicial District Circuit Court of Nevada against the Luxor casino hotel alleging negligence and breach of duty for failing to maintain his hotel room.
Van Horn’s lawsuit alleges that in addition to the “severe pain and shock” he felt from the electric shock, he also “sustained a traumatic brain injury, a concussion, worsening of his post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic headaches.” According to the complaint, Van Horn now suffers from “memory and hearing problems, imbalance, dizziness and speech difficulties including stuttering,” which ultimately forced him to retire as a public school teacher four years before his retirement eligibility.
The two-count lawsuit seeks financial compensation for past and future damages resulting from the alleged incident, including medical expenses and lost wages.
The Luxor is operated by Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International, which could not be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Van Horn and his wife were staying in Luxor on Nov. 26, 2023. When he touched a nearby lamp to turn it on, Van Horn says he was “suddenly and violently thrown, striking his head, overturning a nearby chair and falling to the floor. “
The suit alleges that Luxor either “knew, or through a reasonable inspection should have known, that the dangerous condition existed” in the hotel room and should have either corrected the problem or warned guests of the potential danger. The lawsuit alleges that the casino hotel failed to do either, therefore Van Horn’s injuries were the “direct and proximate result of (Luxor’s) negligent acts and/or omissions.”
–
