Lawsuit filed against country club after man seriously injured from prolonged sauna exposure

HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) – A family in Hawaii says they are still waiting for answers after their loved one was left severely disabled following a visit to a Country Club sauna.

The incident occurred on April 30, 2023 and the family says they have since filed a lawsuit because it has been a 20-month nightmare.

They said Yoshinori “Ken” Hayashida visited the Waialae Country Club that day for a refreshing sauna stop.

But Hayashida’s wife, Sanae Yokota, says things changed dramatically when she went to see her husband, prompting first responders to try to revive him.

Lawyer Robert Miyashita estimates that Hayashida was unconscious in the sauna for nearly two hours until his wife asked someone to look for him.

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

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

“His temperature was beyond the range of the conventional thermometer, which is usually 108 or 109 degrees,” the lawyer said.

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

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

“It’s brutal. Excavating all his muscles, looking at the blood… Sometimes I think if we made the right decision,” he said. “Maybe it would be less painful if I could die. But he is a fighter.”

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

The 80-year-old man currently lives in a nursing home in Japan because, according to his family, medical costs in the United States exceed $1.5 million.

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

“This lawsuit is his intention to raise awareness,” his attorney said.

Waialae did not have basic safety equipment or protocols to keep sauna users safe, which are required by law, Miyashita said.

“Installing timers, periodic wellness checks, attendants…they also require panic buttons,” he said.

One thing the club reportedly had was a warning on the sauna thermostat that said, “An attendant must be on duty when the sauna is in use.”

Representatives from Waialae Country Club 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 a lesson from her experience.

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

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