A California man has lawyered up and is considering a lawsuit after being stung in the testicles by a scorpion that crawled into bed with him at a luxury Las Vegas Strip resort.
At around 8 a.m. on Dec. 26, Michael Farchi, 61, woke up in his suite at The Venetian to a searing pain in his groin area, according to attorney Brian Virag. Roused suddenly from his sleep, Farchi rushed into the bathroom to figure out what was happening, only to spot an orange scorpion clinging to the front of his Reebok boxer-briefs.
“I have been bitten by scorpion at my groin/testicles,” Farchi wrote in an incident report Virag shared on Tuesday with The Daily Beast.
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In it, Farchi said he was in bed when he was stung, and that his symptoms included “a lot of pain.” He told KLAS that the sensation was “like somebody stabbing me in my private area. It felt like a sharp glass or a knife.” Farchi, a contractor from Agoura Hills, said he was “shocked” by what happened, and that he “couldn’t believe it.”
Farchi had the presence of mind to snap several photos of the scorpion hanging from his underwear, copies of which Virag also provided.
Michael Farchi’s Las Vegas vacation was cut short by a scorpion sting.
Courtesy Brian ViragHe was treated at a local hospital for the sting, which, in severe cases, can cause uncontrollable muscle movements, sweating, drooling, numbness, slurred speech, or death. Farchi is reportedly still experiencing symptoms related to the incident, more than two months later.
The Venetian comped Farchi’s room for the night, but, Virag said, hotel staffers “were very dismissive and unapologetic.” He checked out the next day.
“Obviously, people have an expectation that when they check into a hotel, especially a 5-star hotel, that they’re going to be safe,” Virag told The Daily Beast. “And clearly, he was not.”
Farchi said he had no idea how the scorpion got under his sheets.
In an email, a spokesperson for The Venetian said, “To preserve the privacy of our guests, we’re unable to comment on this incident. The resort has protocols for all incidents and we can confirm they were followed in this incident.”
Virag, who said he is known as “the preeminent bedbug lawyer in the land,” normally focuses exclusively on representing clients who have been exposed to bedbugs. However, “this is obviously in the same wheelhouse,” he said.
“So we have to step up and investigate and get some justice for Mr. Farchi,” Virag said. “When you go through something like this, it’s very traumatizing. And it’s not something that you’ll ever forget.”
Virag will be meeting Tuesday morning to discuss next steps with Farchi, who is still trying to wrap his head around what happened to him.
“This is a crazy situation,” Virag said. “No one would ever expect something like this. It was a totally unexpected situation, and obviously we are contemplating legal action to make sure this wrong is righted.”
