Man is stung in testicles by a SCORPION at the Venetian hotel as Las Vegas suffers mass infestation of venomous creatures
A California man is suing the Venetian after waking up to the searing pain of multiple stings from a scorpion in his boxer-briefs while on vacation at the Las Vegas hotel.
The suits comes amid a wave reports of scorpions invading properties across 'Sin City' and its suburbs — including America's most lethal species, the Arizona bark scorpion.
One homeowner, who claims to have killed 'over 22 scorpions' on his property in recent months, told local news that he suspects the deadly southwestern species has snuck into the city aboard palm trees imported for tract homes and other desert landscaping projects.
Just one palm tree can have hundreds of scorpions hiding in them,' according to representatives from one local pest control service, who corroborated that view.
'The Arizona bark scorpion,' they warn, 'is venomous and dangerous to young children, the elderly, people that are in poor health, and those that suffer an allergic reaction to the sting.'
'The Las Vegas area has many types of scorpions — 23 to be exact,' according to that company, Global Pest Services of Las Vegas. 'Most of the scorpion species we see here are not something to worry about.'
While photos taken by Michael Farchi, the Southern California resident stung at the Venetian's Palazzo tower, appear to show a small Arizona bark scorpion, the species and toxicity of the creature has not been made public, according KABC.
'I woke up with a sharp pain in my private area. I was surprised,' Farchi told reporters this March. 'I reached my hand to see what's happening over there under the cover, and I got another sharp pain, another sharp pain.'
All told, Farchi estimated that he was stung about three to four times by the scorpion as he attempted to remove the insect predator from his Reebok-brand underwear.
In his pictures, the scorpion was a warm, bright yellow hue — similar in coloring to the Arizona bark scorpion — although he said his attacker was considerably smaller.
According to PhD ecologist Jim Boone, the owner of Nevada-based Desert Wildlife Consultants, Arizona bark scorpions are about three inches long, compared to the roughly one-inch long scorpion that stung Farchi.
'Around Las Vegas, this species is more likely to be found on block walls and inside houses than out in the desert,' Boone notes.
'As such, this is the species most people are likely to see,' in Boone's experience; the ecologist added that bark scorpions are 'quite common in some parts of town.'
Additionally, 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 be three pairs of lateral eyes — all strong indicators that the now-dead creature was a juvenile bark scorpion.
Farchi is now suing the Venetian with the help of Las Vegas-area 'Bed Bug Lawyer' Brian Virag, who noted that this was not the first incident wherein scorpions have been discovered invading guests' rooms at the Venetian.
'Nobody staying in Vegas needs to be exposed to deadly scorpions while they're sleeping, let alone on their private parts, their testicles,' Virag said.
Although a public statement from the Venetian this March asserted that 'the resort has protocols for all incidents and we can confirm they were followed in this incident,' Farchi recalled total indifference from the staff on the day of the attack.
'The [Venetian] Palazzo didn't even apologize for what happened when I met with the hotel manager,' Farchi said. 'They just charge me for my room, the restaurant and whatever I used. No apologies. No nothing.'
The resort's response to his traumatic episode, which added a painful coda to his winter 2023 holiday in Vegas, he said, has made him 'very angry.'
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