Following the death of her husband, a New Zealand woman is getting ready to file a lawsuit.

While visiting Gozo, Malta with her family in 2016 her husband became sick after using the hot tub in theirAirbnb rental Paul died a few days after he returned from the holiday.

The VRU company is being fought against. She thinks the hot tub was the cause of her husband's death. The company will be sued for over one million dollars.

According to Bermingham, the jacuzzi hadn't been used for a while before we arrived.

What Is Legionnaires' Disease?

traveler sues Airbnb
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There's a picture of a bay.

Since her husband's death, Bermingham has been involved in a lengthy legal battle with the company. As she pursues her case against the popular VRU company, she needs help with her legal costs. The hot tub in the rental home was contaminated withbacteria that led to her husband's death.

She said that Paul only went in the hot tub once on New Years Eve. After he checked in to the farmhouse, I think he was exposed to the airbornebacteria.

The cause of Paul's death was legionella pneumonia. Water droplets are the source of Legionnaires' disease. It can't be transmitted from person to person and hot tub are breeding grounds for the bacterium.

Someone contracting Legionnaires' disease at home is rare. If proper Sanitation is not enforced, hotels, spas, and hospitals can be a breeding ground forbacteria. Hot tub, humidifiers, air conditioners, and old showers have the potential to harbor Legionnaires' disease.

A Holiday Disaster

traveler sues Airbnb
Photo Courtesy of Brett Sayles.

The Bermingham family was in Gozo. They rented a home on the platform for two weeks while they traveled with their children. The family had no idea what was going to happen.

After they arrived, Paul went to the hot tub in one of the rooms. The water wasn't warm. He was in the tub for a short time. Children who also used the hot tub were not contaminated with the bacterium.

Paul was ill when the Bermingham's returned to London. He was placed into a medically coma after he was rushed to the hospital. He passed away from the illness.

She said that the hospital did everything it could but couldn't save him. He could have been taken from us.

The death of her husband in 2016 has left her and her family devastated. She ended her career as a make-up artist because she couldn't bear the weight of the house.

Little Response From Airbnb

The lack of response from the company is making her and her family frustrated. The company refused to compensate her family for the wrongful death of her husband, despite her claims. She says that Airbnb refused to investigate the property.

They don't want to accept any responsibility for my husband's death and the turmoil that has been caused in my family's life. When I tried to talk to their lawyers, they told me they were on holiday. They said there was no one available to speak.

The Maltese government refused to give her the test results from the hot tub because they didn't want her to know they were contaminated.

She wants the world to know how Airbnb works, making tons of money off our backs and waiving any responsibility when things go terribly wrong.

We were very sad to hear of the tragic incident at the time and our thoughts are with the Bermingham family. The family's representatives are in touch with us. The safety of our community is a priority and with more than one billion guest arrivals inAirbnb listings to date, isolated incidents are extremely rare.