ABERDEEN, Wash. — A 9-year-old girl and her family say she was stuck by a hypodermic needle as she climbed into bed at an Aberdeen hotel and now has to have her blood checked routinely to make sure she hasn't contracted a disease.
KIRO 7's Chris Legeros talked to the family as well as the hotel owner who calls their story suspicious.
An Aberdeen police dispatch log confirms that officers were called to a hotel after the incident was reported Friday night.
Emily Johnson, who loves softball, went to a tournament in Aberdeen last weekend and stayed at the Guest House Inn and Suites. She said she got a painful surprise when she
climbed into her bunk bed that night.
“I told my dad that something poked me and it was scary. It felt like kind of a bee stung me,” said Emily.
Emily’s father said his daughter’s heel was bleeding. He pulled back the sheets and mattress cover and was horrified by what he found.
“There were two syringes, one with a needle attached. There was a plastic bag and a bandage with blood on it,” said Emily’s mother, Angie Smith. “(It was) total shock. I couldn’t believe it. It was almost like, is this real?”
Smith called police and took her daughter to a hospital emergency room where she was told that Emily will to have her blood routinely checked for a year to ensure she didn’t contract hepatitis or HIV. Smith said she’s worried and angry at the hotel for not even agreeing to pick up the cost of their stay.
“Somebody’s at fault for not making sure that room was clean and safe for us and our kids,” said Smith.
The hotel’s owner, Jas Dhaliwal, said he is suspicious of the story, claiming his staff offered to dial 911 when the family told them what happened and his guests declined.
Dhaliwal said the family also declined a move to another room, accepting just a change of linens on the kids' bunk beds.
Dhaliwal said "their story is not true,” "it was their needle" and the family was "just trying to get a free room."
The family said they wasted no time calling police and taking their child to a hospital. A dispatch log shows the mother reported the incident nine minutes before the hotel called and the family is considering a lawsuit.
“It’s not necessarily about the money. But I don’t want anybody to ever have to deal with this ever again,” said Smith.
So far, Emily shows no sign of disease and stayed in Aberdeen and played softball after getting stuck by the needle.
Her parents said they are still worried and bothered by the fact that she'll have to have regular blood tests.