Harford, P.C. has filed the very first lawsuit on behalf of a Manhattan woman who was sickened during last year’s Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Washington Heights.
The complaint was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York by Scott A. Harford, naming three defendants:
– Broadway Housing Communities, Inc.
– Broadway Housing Development Fund Company, Inc.
– Broadway Sugar Hill Housing Development Fund Company, Inc.
According to the complaint, Vivian Weeks was infected with Legionella bacteria in late September while visiting the Church of the Intercession (550 West 155th Street). In early October, Ms. Weeks developed symptoms including shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, difficulty breathing, body aches, and fever, and on Oct. 5, she was admitted to St. Luke’s Hospital. During her extended stay at St. Luke’s, she was diagnosed with Legionella pneumonia (Legionnaires’ disease), and she continues to experience complications from the disease.
In early October, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) began investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease cases in the Lower Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan – the second outbreak to affect the area in 2018. The second outbreak produced 32 illnesses; 30 victims were hospitalized, and one died.
The DOHMH investigation matched clinical specimens of Legionella from patients with the strain of Legionella found in the cooling tower at the Sugar Hill Project (898 St. Nicholas Avenue). The DOHMH subsequently issued a news release stating that it “has identified the cooling tower at the Sugar Hill Project as the likely source of this [outbreak].”
The complaint states that the defendants “did not warn area residents and visitors of the risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease by exposure to the building’s cooling tower.”
The DOHMH had started monitoring the Sugar Hill Project since the first outbreak last July and August, when 27 area residents were sickened, 25 were hospitalized, and one died. The DOHMH investigation also pinpointed the Sugar Hill Project cooling tower as the “most likely” source for that outbreak.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia contracted by breathing in tiny droplets (mist or vapor) of water contaminated with Legionella bacteria. The disease usually develops two to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria. Symptoms usually begin with headaches, muscle pain, chills, and a fever, and by the second or third day can worsen to include a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, gastrointestinal problems, and mental confusion.
If you or someone you know has been injured by contracting Legionnaires’ disease, please contact Scott A. Harford immediately at Harford, P.C. You can directly reach him at (212) 390-8983.
We are here to help you.
