Plano Woman Sues Omni Hotels Over Sister's Death In Flood: Report

PLANO, TX — Pam Eslinger, a Plano woman whose sister died in Hurricane Harvey flood waters, is suing Omni Hotels and Otis Elevator Company, claiming negligence by the hospitality giant led to her sister's death.

Jill Renick, 48, was en employee at an Omni Hotel in Houston when waters began to rise during Hurricane Harvey's landfall. Her body was later found in the ceiling of the hotel's basement, Patch reported in September 2017.

Shortly before her death, she called a co-worker, saying she was stuck in a service elevator. Employees looked for her to no avail, unable to raise the elevator due to a power outage and rising waters, Patch wrote.

In a statement, the hotel said they are "heartbroken and shaken by this development."

The suit alleges Renick took the elevator to the basement at the request of her coworkers, WFAA reported. As the water rose, she climbed above the ceiling tiles, where she eventually drowned.

Attorney Rob Craine told the station the hotel should have discontinued its elevators as soon as flooding began, but didn’t.

WFAA reports the suit refers to an OSHA investigation that says, “elevators were kept operational during a 100-year flood event, allowing employees to be exposed to drowning hazards.”

The suit also claims Otis Elevator Company failed to install necessary flood sensors in its elevators, a requirement for buildings below the floodplain of a building in Houston, the station wrote.

Renick was "loved by so many people, and we will feel the impact of her absence in our hearts forever," Eslinger said.

Lead image: The top of a fire hydrant sticks out of floodwaters in front of a home on September 7, 2017 in Richwood, Texas. Over a week after Hurricane Harvey hit Southern Texas, residents are beginning the long process of recovering from the storm. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)