Lawsuit filed against country club after man suffered serious injuries after prolonged exposure to sauna

HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) – A family in Hawaii says they are still waiting for answers after their loved one suffered a serious disability after visiting a Country Club sauna.

The incident occurred on April 30, 2023, and the family says they filed the lawsuit because it has been a nightmare for 20 months.

They said Yoshinori “Ken” Hayashida visited the Waialae Country Club that day to cool off in the sauna.

However, Hayashida’s wife, Sanae Yokota, claims that the situation changed dramatically when she went to check on her husband, which resulted in emergency services trying to resuscitate him.

Defense attorney Robert Miyashita estimates Hayashida lay unconscious in the sauna for nearly two hours until his wife asked someone to look for him.

“I was shocked. I kept saying, “Is he okay?” Is he okay? Someone said, “Oh, don’t worry. He has a pulse,” Yokota said.

However, Miyashita said that during the incident, Hayashida’s body temperature was so high that it could not be measured.

“His temperature was above the range of a conventional thermometer, which is usually around 108-109 degrees,” the lawyer said.

According to Miyashita, Hayashida suffered irreversible brain damage and fourth-degree burns.

Sanae Yokota sits at the bedside of her disabled husband, Yoshinori Hayashida.(Hawaii News)

Yokota said her husband received treatment, but the process was terrifying.

“It’s brutal. “I’m digging out all his muscles, looking at the blood… Sometimes I wonder if we made the right decision,” she said. “It would be less painful if he could die. But he is a fighter.”

Hayashida improved in rehab, but since then his health has steadily deteriorated.

The 80-year-old is currently in a nursing home in Japan as his family says medical costs in the U.S. exceed $1.5 million.

Hayashida’s wife said the club’s refusal to take responsibility forced the family to file a lawsuit.

“This lawsuit is intended to bring attention to this issue,” their lawyer said.

Miyashita said Waialae did not have basic equipment or protocols to ensure the safety of sauna users, which is required by law.

“Installation of timers, periodic health checks, maintenance… these also require panic buttons,” he said.

The club reportedly had a warning on the sauna thermostat stating: “An attendant must be on duty while using the sauna.”

Waialae Country Club officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation.

Hayashida’s wife says she remains by her husband’s side, but wants other sauna users to learn from their experiences.

“I didn’t know the sauna was so dangerous,” she said. “It could happen to you. It can happen to anyone.”