A woman who claims that she fell asleep in a tanning bed for about two and a half hours is suing the business, Loving's Hair Gallery East in Northeast Portland, where the incident took place.

In an Oct. 5 lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Rebecca Fitzpatrick claims she dozed off during a tanning session in October 2009 and that Loving's employees failed to activate alarms, turn off the tanning bed and wake up Fitzgerald in a reasonable time. 

Fitzpatrick, the suit says, "sustained first and second degree burn [sic] to her entire body, permanent scarring and discoloration of her skin, the emergence of moles and small growths on her skin, and will in the future face an increased risk of skin cancer."  The suit says she has ultraviolet eye damage, including permanent blurred vision as well as dizziness, headaches and nausea.

She's seeking $500,000 to cover medical expenses and non-economic damages.

The business owner, Sheila Loving, says she was unaware of the lawsuit when WW called her. She says that she was vacationing with family in Arizona during the alleged incident with Fitzpatrick and learned what had happened from employees.

Loving acknowledges that there was a malfunction with the timers in the tanning bed that Fitzpatrick was using, but she says that Fitzpatrick is the only customer to experience any problems. Loving closed the tanning portion of her business in December 2009.