Vacationers rent Myrtle Beach area beach home. It was infested with bats, suit says
.JPG "Ocean Lakes Family Campground")
Vacationers staying at popular Myrtle Beach area campground discovered their rental home was infested with bats, causing the renters to take rabies medication as a precaution, a lawsuit claims.
Paul Shell Jr., Julie Shell, Adam Blackley, Amber Blackley and a child listed as A.B. filed the suit against Ocean Lakes Family Campground, 6001 S. Kings Highway; Expedia, doing business as the rental site Vrbo; and Frederick Koerner Jr. and Tammy Hill.
A person answering the phone Tuesday at Ocean Lakes said because of the holidays, no one in management was in the office to provide a comment. Messages left for Expedia and Vrbo were not immediately returned.
The North Carolina residents rented the home located at 1259 Sharks Tooth Trail for a week-long stay beginning May 25, 2024, through Vrbo, according to the suit. The property is owned by Ocean Lakes and managed by Koerner and Hill, according to the suit.
The property was listed on Vrbo as being “super clean” three-bedroom, two-bath beach house, the suit said. However, during their stay, the renters were exposed to bats that were found in the living room, kitchen and bedroom.
The suit claims that the plaintiffs underwent numerous “painful and disruptive rabies vaccinations” as a precaution for possibly being bitten by a bat while sleeping inside the property.
The suit, filed Dec. 20, 2024, alleges negligence, saying that those involved with the property should have known the “dangerous conditions” of the home and took no action to discover or remove the bats before the plaintiffs’ stay.
The renters are seeking damages based on the fact that the defendants failed to maintain the property and marketed it as being clean, the suit said.
