Have you suffered injury or a death in the family from Legionnaire’s Disease?
Call Carabin Shaw at 800-862-1260. We can help you and your family.
Legionnaire’s disease is an awful form of bacterial pneumonia caused by the dangerous bacteria Legionella. This particular bacterium is typically found in water. People often become ill after inhaling water or vapor droplets which contain Legionella. According to the United States “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, a majority of people who are exposed to these bacteria never actually become ill, but those over 50, people with chronic lung diseases, people with weakened immune systems or people who smoke may well be more likely to become sick. If you do actually get sick call our Texas Legionnaire’s Disease Attorneys at Carabin Shaw and we can help you and your family.
This virulent disease is named as it is after there was major disease outbreak in the late 1970s at a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia when many people got sick. Somewhere between 8,000 and 18,000 people in our country get sick with Legionnaire’s disease each and every year. Among the most common spots for an outbreak are nursing homes, hospitals, hotels and resorts.
Legionella bacteria aren’t transmitted between people. They get spread when water systems become infected and then the disease can become widespread. Among the more common spots where this bacteria grows and infects people includes:
The symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease can include aches, fever, shortness of breath and coughing. This illness can usually be treated with a regime of antibiotics, but in some unfortunate cases will cause organ failure or lung damage. Sadly, in some rare cases, this infection can in fact lead to a fatality. If you have been infected with this illness call our Legionnaire’s Disease in Texas legal team at Carabin Shaw and we will do for you what can be done in a legal sense.
Legionnaire’s Disease in Nursing Homes and HospitalsThe spread of the Legionella bacterium is preventable when the threatened water is treated properly, like in a drinking water system or fountain, or gets heated sufficiently temperature wise to kill off the infectious bacteria, such as if it is in a hot or heated tub. Outbreaks may result from negligent failure to maintain or inspect a system for drinking water, plumbing system or HVAC system. If a nursing home or hospital fails to properly monitor their water system and some people become sick, that may qualify as “medical malpractice” in a legal sense.
Patients admitted to the hospital, or people who live in a nursing home, can be particularly vulnerable to developing this kind of pneumonia after they inhale the Legionella bacteria. When a person is in the a hospital, the body is already fighting some type of illness or injury and the immune system may well not be in a position to fight a Legionella infection also. In addition, many of the people who get exposed to Legionella while in nursing homes or hospitals may in fact already be vulnerable due to being elderly.
Nursing homes or hospitals are subject to claims for medical malpractice in essentially the same way as health providers or individual doctors. When the administrators of a facility are negligent in doing maintenance and occupants or patients get harmed or become sick and injured a medical malpractice claim may be the best answer. If you have gotten sick from Legionnaire’s, our Legionnaire’s Disease legal team at Carabin Shaw is standing by and ready to help you and your family.
How a Lawyer Can HelpIf you or a loved one has gotten sick and been diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease in a nursing home or hospital, an experienced Texas Legionnaire’s Disease Attorney at Carabin Shaw will evaluate the exact circumstances of the sickness and discuss the possibility of your making a claim for damages and/or losses. In such a medical malpractice claim, you might find that you can recover out of pocket medical costs, pain and suffering and loss of wages if you lost time from work.
Have you suffered injury or a death in the family from Legionnaire’s Disease?
Call Carabin Shaw at 800-862-1260. We can help you and your family.