On the morning of Friday, August 1, 2025, a carbon monoxide leak at the Ashore Resort on Coastal Highway in Ocean City led to a mass-casualty response. News reports said 18 people were evaluated and four employees were taken to the hospital with elevated carbon monoxide levels in their blood. The reported cause was a ventilation problem with a boiler.
If you were at the hotel that day and felt unwell, get medical care and ask for your records. Carbon monoxide exposure can have effects that appear or persist after the day itself, and people hurt by a building’s unsafe equipment may have a personal injury claim. This post was first published in August 2025 and updated in September 2026.
What was publicly reported about the incident
According to reporting by WTOP and CBS News Baltimore:
- The Ocean City Fire Department responded just after 11 a.m. after a carbon monoxide alarm at the hotel.
- Thirteen people were first evaluated at the scene; the total evaluated later rose to 18.
- Four employees were taken to the hospital with elevated levels of carbon monoxide in their blood.
- The leak was attributed to a ventilation issue with a boiler. The boiler was shut down for repairs.
- By about 1:30 p.m., the fire department and the town’s building inspector had deemed the hotel safe, and it resumed normal operations.
Those are the facts as reported at the time. How the ventilation problem arose, and who was responsible for the boiler’s installation, maintenance and inspection, are the questions an investigation would answer. We do not speculate about them here.
Carbon monoxide symptoms, including those that come later
Carbon monoxide has no color, smell or taste. The CDC lists the most common symptoms of poisoning as headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Because these resemble the flu, exposure is easy to dismiss, and people who are asleep or intoxicated can be seriously harmed before they notice anything.
Medical literature also describes effects that can appear days to weeks after a significant exposure, including memory problems, difficulty concentrating, mood changes and other neurological symptoms. Anyone who was exposed and later notices those changes should tell a doctor about the exposure and the date.
Diagnosis usually relies on a blood test for carboxyhemoglobin, which is most useful soon after exposure. Treatment is oxygen, and in some cases hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This is general information, not medical advice.
What to do if you were exposed
- Get evaluated if you have any symptoms, and make sure the provider records that you were exposed to carbon monoxide and where.
- Request copies of your records, including any EMS run sheet and blood test results.
- Write down where you were in the building, how long you were there, what you noticed, and when symptoms started.
- Keep receipts for treatment, travel and any time missed from work.
- Keep any messages from the hotel, and be careful about signing anything before you understand what it releases.
The rights of hotel guests and visitors
Hotel guests are business invitees under Maryland law. A property owner owes invitees reasonable care, including inspecting for hazards, and that includes maintaining fuel-burning equipment and its ventilation so that it does not poison the people inside.
Responsibility can extend beyond the owner. A management company, a contractor that installed or serviced a boiler, or the manufacturer of defective equipment may each share liability, depending on what an investigation shows. See our page on product liability claims for how equipment defects are handled.
Two Maryland rules shape any claim: most injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the injury, and under contributory negligence a person found even slightly at fault can be barred from recovering. The second rarely fits a guest who simply breathed the air in their room, but insurers raise it anyway.
Hotel employees: workers’ compensation and other claims
Employees hurt at work are generally covered by workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against your employer, and in exchange it pays without you having to prove fault.
If someone other than your employer contributed to your injury, you can bring an ordinary injury claim against them in addition to your compensation claim. After a carbon monoxide leak, that might be an outside contractor or an equipment manufacturer. Our page on Maryland workers’ compensation explains how the two claims fit together.
When carbon monoxide exposure is fatal
No deaths were reported in the Ocean City incident. Carbon monoxide poisoning does kill people in Maryland homes, rentals and hotels, and when it does, the family may have both a wrongful death claim and a claim through the estate. A Maryland wrongful death claim generally must be filed within three years of the death, with narrow exceptions for particular causes. See wrongful death claims.
Common questions
I felt sick at the hotel but was not taken to the hospital. Do I have a claim?
Possibly. A claim depends on an injury that a doctor can document and link to the exposure. If you had symptoms, get evaluated and tell the provider about the exposure. Mild symptoms that resolved quickly may not support a claim, but lasting effects can.
How long do I have to act after carbon monoxide exposure in Maryland?
Most Maryland injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the injury. Evidence such as equipment, maintenance logs and alarm records can disappear much sooner, which is why it helps to act early.
Does it cost anything to talk to your firm?
No. The case review is free and confidential. If we take your case, we work on a contingency fee: no fee unless we recover money for you. We advance the case costs and are repaid only from a recovery, so if there is no recovery you owe us nothing. The agreement is in writing before you sign.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This article is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice about your situation.