Veteran, Who Traveled for Granddaughter’s College Graduation, Allegedly ‘Boiled Alive’ in Hotel Shower: Lawsuit

A 77-year-old Marine Corps veteran died after being “boiled alive” in a hotel bathtub, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family.

Terril Johnson was staying at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites near the San Jose Airport on May 22 when relatives discovered him “unresponsive” and “partially submerged in water so dangerously hot that they could not touch him without burning themselves,” the complaint says. The family filed the suit in California’s Superior Court on Oct. 15.

Johnson had traveled to San Jose to attend his granddaughter’s graduation from San Jose State University the following day, according to court filings. His family said they “struggled desperately to save” him and watched “in horror as his skin peeled away from his body.”

First responders pronounced Johnson dead at the scene. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner determined that he suffered “severe scalding burns of the neck, torso, and extremities complicating hypertension.” The report found burns covering roughly 33.5 percent of his body.

The lawsuit alleges that the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites violated California plumbing code, which requires showers to include valves limiting maximum water temperature. Johnson’s family called the incident a “horrific and entirely preventable tragedy” and is seeking unspecified damages in a jury trial.

According to the filing, Johnson was a husband and father of two from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated at the top of his high-school class, served in the Vietnam War, and later attended Indiana Tech and Ivy Tech, where he went on to teach.

“Terril was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, remembered for his faith, work ethic, mentorship, and commitment to family and community,” the lawsuit states. He was “in good spirits and enjoying retirement” before his death.

Johnson is survived by his wife of 54 years, a son, and four grandchildren.