Grandson found victim ‘boiled alive’ in San Jose hotel, lawsuit claims

(KRON) — A grandfather was “effectively boiled alive” and died in the shower of his San Jose hotel room after he was exposed to scalding 136-degree water, according to a new lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County court.

Marine veteran Terril Wade Johnson, Sr., 77, had traveled with his family from Los Angeles to the Bay Area to attend his granddaughter’s graduation at San Jose State University in May. What should have been a time for celebrations turned into a “horrific and entirely preventable tragedy,” the wrongful death lawsuit states.

The lawsuit was filed by law firm Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP against Fairfield Inn & Suites San Jose Airport, located at 1755 North First Street.

“On May 22, 2025, Terril entered the shower in his hotel room and never came out alive,” the suit states. The victim’s grandson found Johnson unresponsive and partially submerged in water on the shower floor. The scalding water was still running.

When more family members rushed in to save him, “the water was so dangerously hot they could not initially lift him out of the tub. They could not touch him without burning themselves,” the suit claims.

A Santa Clara County coroner ruled Johnson’s cause of death to be severe scalding burns, according to attorneys. The shower’s water temperature was hot enough to cause third-degree burns within seconds, attorneys wrote.

Plaintiffs named in the lawsuit include Johnson’s widow of more than fifty years, his son, his daughter-in law, and his grandchildren. Defendants named in the lawsuit are Hanford Hotels, which owns and operates Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites San Jose Airport, and the hotel where Johnson died.

The lawsuit claims that the hotel allowed lethal conditions to exist in guests rooms, with dangerously overheated water in violation of industry standards and California safety codes.

Attorneys wrote in the lawsuit, “This was not a freak accident; it was the direct result of Defendants’ gross negligence and failure to meet even basic safety obligations.”

Johnson was born on June 11, 1947, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. After marrying his high school sweetheart, Johnson became a father of two. He worked for 23 years as a lead technician with the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority until his retirement in 2024.

The lawsuit, filed on October 15, demands a jury trial.