Legionnaire’s Disease Medical Attorney

Have you suffered injury or a death in the family from Legionnaire’s disease?

Call your Legionnaires Disease Medical Attorney at Carabin Shaw at 800-862-1260. We can help you and your family with evaluating a Legionnaires’ disease and determining any possible claims.

Legionnaire’s disease is a nasty form of pneumonia caused by the bacteria Legionella. The infectious bacteria are generally found in water, preferably warm, and people can get sick after inhaling water or vapor droplets which contain the Legionella bacteria. According to the Federal “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” most people who get exposed to this bacteria never actually become sick, but people who have weakened immune systems, have chronic lung diseases, people who smoke or people over 50, may be more likely to become ill.

This disease is named after what happened at an early outbreak of this form of pneumonia at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia in the 1970s at which many, many people got sick. Anywhere from at least 8,000 to as many as 18,000 Americans get sick with Legionnaires Disease each and every year in our country. The more common places for outbreaks to occur include nursing homes, hospitals and hotels.

Legionella is not known to be transmitted from one person to another person, but so far only when a commercial or large scale water system gets contaminated can an infection outbreak be widespread. The more common places where the bacteria infect people as they grow include:

• Air Conditioning Cooling towers
• Decorative water fountains
• Hot tubs
• Drinking water systems

The symptoms of this disease usually include aches, fever, shortness of breath and coughing. This illness can usually be treated using antibiotics, but in some serious cases can cause organ damage or lung failure. In some very severe cases, Legionnaires infections can lead to tragic fatalities. If you have been injured or a loved one injured or killed, you should contact a Carabin Shaw Legionnaire’s Disease Medical Attorney to advise you about your rights and possible legal options. If it can be done for you, we will do it. We are here to help.

When water is correctly treated, Legionella outbreaks can be prevented in places such as a drinking water system or a fountain, or anywhere if the water is heated to a sufficiently high temperature to kill off the infectious bacteria, like as in a hot tub. Outbreaks may result from negligently failing to maintain or inspect a plumbing system, an HVAC system or a drinking water system. If a nursing home or hospital negligently fails to monitor its water system and people get sick, that may rise to legally actionable medical malpractice.

Nursing homes or hospitals can be liable for medical malpractice claims in a similar way that imposed upon health providers and individual doctors. When administrators or managers are negligent in how they maintain their facilities and occupants or patients become harmed, sick or injured, legal liability for malpractice claim may be present.

If you or a loved one has gotten ill with Legionnaires Disease in a nursing home or hospital, an experienced Legionnaires Disease personal injury lawyer can discuss the possibility of your making a claim after evaluating the exact circumstances of your specific illness. In a successful medical malpractice claim, you might well be able to recover your pain and suffering, your lost wages, if you missed work and any or all of your medical costs.

Have you suffered injury or a death in the family from Legionnaire’s disease?

Call your Legionnaires Disease Medical Attorney at Carabin Shaw at 800-862-1260. We can help you and your family with evaluating a Legionnaires’ disease and determining any possible claims.