[ad_1]
The families of three tourists who died during their Airbnb stays in Mexico City from apparently carbon monoxide poisoning urged the short-term rental company on Thursday to require detectors in its listed properties to prevent future tragedies.
“Our main goal is to try to get people who are planning to use short-term rentals like Airbnb aware,” said Jennifer Marshall, whose son Jordan Marshall is one of the travelers.
“We want to put pressure on Airbnb to regulate and license carbon monoxide detectors in the future. This is the only way we can think of to honor our children.”
Read also | Anthony Blinken wants team to win FIFA World Cup if Team USA is eliminated
Attorney L Chris Stewart of Atlanta-based Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys also said it plans to file wrongful-death lawsuits against Airbnb and other companies because of the incident.
“We’re asking Airbnb to make it mandatory for all of their listings to have detectors,” he said. “They have international and national bans on parties, weapons and cameras. They can also easily mandate carbon monoxide detectors. They know they’ve been killing people in their rental properties. We know of at least three other cases.”
However, Stewart said they were awaiting information from Mexican investigators to identify “all defendants” before filing charges.
Read also | EU countries mull lower gas price cap: report
The three travelers who died on Oct. 30 were Kandace Florence, 28, of Virginia Beach, Va.; her longtime friend, Jordan Marshall, 28, also from Virginia Beach but teaching in New Orleans;33 Year-old New Orleans Courtez Hall also teaches in the city.
They visited the country for Day of the Dead and stayed in a vacation rental in an upscale area of Mexico City.
According to news reports, Florence contacted her boyfriend in the U.S. saying she was not feeling well, and he contacted her Airbnb host to take a look. Authorities later found all three dead.
Airbnb said in a statement that it has suspended listings and canceled upcoming reservations pending an investigation into the incident.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the family and loved ones as they grieve such an unimaginable loss. Our priority now is to support those affected as authorities investigate what happened , and we stand ready to assist their investigation in any way we can,” the company said.
Airbnb said it has not confirmed carbon monoxide exposure was a cause of death, but noted that it is working on a global program to provide hosts with free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and has ordered more than 200,000 so far.
Read also | European gas imports from Russia jump 42% amid Russia-Ukraine war: report
Airbnb said it is also working with Mexican officials to promote safety practices among hosts and is updating its detector program to speed up shipments in the country.
It added that the site allows potential guests to filter their searches for hosts who report having the detector and flag any bookings that don’t.
Jennifer Marshall said she hopes the deaths of her son and his friend serve as a warning to other travelers.
“We want people to rethink the way they take their holidays,” Marshall said. “Even if we don’t get any action from Airbnb, it’s going to be disappointing, and we hope this gets a lot of attention. If we can’t expect businesses to prioritize the safety of their customers, then we have to make sure we do.”
Kandace’s mother, Freida Florence, said pointing out Airbnb’s “flaws” was a priority.
“We’re asking people to take precautions,” she said. “They are not obligated or required that their owners warrant carbon monoxide detectors, they should. Doing so can truly save lives. We don’t want any other family to go through what we have gone through.”
Florence also called on people to urge lawmakers to help resolve the issue.
“Our company knows better and should do better,” she said.
[ad_2]
Source link