A California man is suing the Venetian after waking up to the searing pain of multiple stings from a scorpion in his boxer shorts while on vacation at the Las Vegas hotel.
The lawsuit comes amid a wave of reports of scorpions invading properties in ‘Sin City’ and its suburbs – including America’s deadliest species, the Arizona bark scorpion.
A homeowner who claims to have killed “more than 22 scorpions” on his property in recent months told local news he suspects the deadly southwestern species has crept into the city aboard palm trees imported for estates and other desert farming projects.
A California man is suing the Venetian Resort after waking up to the searing pain of multiple scorpion stings in his boxer shorts during his stay at the Vegas hotel. The rude awakening has predicted a wave of scorpions invading ‘Sin City’ and the surrounding suburbs of Las Vegas
“Just one palm tree can harbor hundreds of scorpions,” said representatives of a local pest control service, confirming this view.
“The Arizona bark scorpion,” they warn, “is venomous and dangerous to young children, the elderly, people in poor health, and people who have an allergic reaction to the sting.”
“The Las Vegas area is home to many species of scorpions – 23 of them to be exact,” that company said. Worldwide Pest Services from Las Vegas. “Most of the scorpion species we see here are nothing to worry about.”
Although photos taken by Michael Farchi, the Southern California resident stung in the Venetian Palazzo Tower, appear to show a small bark scorpion from Arizona, the creature’s species and toxicity have not been made public, according to KABC.
‘I woke up with a sharp pain in my private area. I was surprised,” Farchi told reporters last March. “I reached out to see what’s going on under the blanket, and I got another sharp pain, another sharp pain.”
All told, Farchi estimated that he was stung by the scorpion about three to four times as he tried to remove the insect predator from his Reebok brand underwear.
In his photos, the scorpion had a warm, bright yellow hue — similar in color to the Arizona bark scorpion — although he said its attacker was significantly smaller.
According to PhD student ecologist Jim Boonethe owner of Nevada-based Desert Wildlife Consultants, Arizona, barks scorpions are about two inches long, compared to the roughly two-inch-long scorpion that Farchi stung.
“Around Las Vegas, this species is more likely to be found on block walls and in homes than in the desert,” Boone notes.
“As such, this is the species most people are likely to see,” is Boone’s experience; the ecologist added that bark scorpions are “very common in some parts of the city.”
Furthermore, the scorpion that attacked Farchi in his Venetian hotel room appears to have two dark eyes on the top of its head and what could have been three pairs of side eyes – all strong indications that the now-dead creature was a young bark scorpion.
All told, Southern California resident Michael Farchi estimated he was stung by the scorpion about three to four times as he tried to remove the predator from his Reebok brand underwear (pictured). ‘I woke up with a sharp pain in my private area. “I was surprised,” he said
The scorpion that attacked Farchi in his Venetian hotel room (above) appears to have two dark eyes on the top of its head and three pairs of side eyes — a strong indication that the now-dead creature was a juvenile Arizona bark scorpion, the North American scorpion. deadliest scorpion species
Farchi is now suing the Venetian with the help of a ‘Bed Bug Lawyer’ from Las Vegas Brian Viragwho noted that this was not the first incident of scorpions entering the rooms of guests at the Venetian.
“No one staying in Vegas needs to be exposed to deadly scorpions during their sleep, let alone their genitals, their testicles,” Virag said.
Although a public statement from the Venetian in March claimed that “the resort has protocols in place for all incidents and we can confirm that they were followed in this incident,” Farchi recalled the complete indifference of the staff on the day of the attack.
“The (Venetian) Palazzo didn’t even apologize for what happened when I met the hotel manager,” Farchi said. “They only charge me for my room, the restaurant and whatever else I used. No excuses. No nothing.’
The resort’s response to his traumatic episode, which added a painful coda to his 2023 winter vacation in Vegas, has left him “very angry,” he said.
Farchi recalled the total indifference of the staff on the day of the attack. “The (Venetian) Palazzo did not even apologize for what happened when I met the hotel manager,” he said. ‘No excuses. No nothing.’ Above is a photo of Farchi’s incident report on the scorpion attack
Scorpion sightings in Las Vegas tend to peak annually “with long hot summers stretching from March through fall,” according to Las Vegas-based Global Pest Services.
“These months mark the peak periods of scorpion activity in Las Vegas,” the pest control company said. ‘The warm desert climate in summer provides an ideal habitat for scorpions.’
While Farchi’s December encounter is an outlier by the standards of the region’s endemic scorpions, it is all too typical of the invasive Arizona bark scorpion, which is alarmingly increasingly thriving in the city’s cooler, climate-controlled environments.
Michael Farchi (pictured left with his lawyer) was staying at The Venetian over Christmas when he suddenly woke up in agonizing pain in the middle of the night
Rooms at the luxury Las Vegas resort can range from $250 to as much as $2,500 per night
“Unlike most scorpions, the Arizona bark scorpion roosts in damp, wet areas, such as a backyard pool … in kitchens and bathrooms under sinks,” said a representative of the pest control company.
“One family in Las Vegas became so infested with Arizona bark scorpions – in their home and garage and outside in the yard – that they went into the yard every evening with black lights and stakes to kill these pests,” the spokesperson said. said representative.
This month, reports of scorpions have skyrocketed in Las Vegas’ suburban communities of Mountain’s Edge and Southern Highlands, according to an investigation by the local CBS affiliate CLASS.
Cassidy, a resident of Mountain’s Edge, told the station that her neighbor was recently bitten while hanging out in the Jacuzzi in their backyard, a wet residential area that the Arizona bark scorpion migrates to.
Cameron Gayed – the new father and Vegas resident who boasted of having “killed over 22 scorpions” – told the network that he had even seen these deadly, venomous creatures in his baby’s nursery.
“We found them in every corner,” Gayed said. ‘Upstairs Downstairs. We just had a newborn baby, so we want to make sure she’s safe and protected.”