New York Legionnaires’ Disease/Legionella Pneumophila Lawyer

Have you suffered a case of Legionnaires’ disease? This severe respiratory illness frequently occurs when building system maintenance isn’t performed often or thoroughly enough. When that happens, bacteria can grow and spread, causing unsuspecting people to become sick. You may have a claim for compensation from a building owner or business where you contracted Legionnaires’ disease. A New York City Legionnaires’ disease attorney from Harford, P.C., can help you pursue your claims.

As a former defense attorney for Fortune 500 companies and big insurers, founding attorney Scott A. Harford has an insider’s perspective on how corporations fight legal claims and avoid liability for people’s injuries. Today, he uses his knowledge and experience to stand up for the rights of individuals who have suffered severe harm due to others’ negligence. Unlike in other law firms, where your case might get passed off to a paralegal or junior lawyer, Scott personally handles every case. He takes the time to get to know every client and understand their needs, goals, and concerns to develop tailored legal solutions just for them.

After suffering from Legionnaires’ disease, you may have the right to seek financial compensation from the parties responsible for causing your illness. Contact Harford, P.C., today for a free initial consultation with a New York Legionnaires’ disease lawyer. Let’s discuss your legal options for pursuing financial recovery and justice for your harm and losses. 

Benefits of Having a New York City Legionnaires’ Disease/Legionella Pneumophila Lawyer

When you contract a severe illness like Legionnaires’ disease, you may face a long road to recovery. However, when you’ve gotten sick because of a property owner’s or business’s negligent maintenance, you also deserve to pursue financial recovery for your expenses and losses. 

When you hire a New York City Legionnaires’ disease attorney from Harford, P.C., you’ll benefit from having an advocate who can handle all the details of your Legionnaires’ disease claim so you can focus on healing and getting back to everyday life. Our firm will fight for the financial relief and accountability you deserve by:

• Investigating your case to recover evidence of negligence that led to your illness
• Identifying liable parties who bear responsibility for the harm caused you
• Documenting your ongoing medical complications and calculating your past and future losses
• Filing your claims and communicating with business representatives, insurance adjusters, or defense lawyers
• Aggressively pursuing maximum compensation for you, whether through a negotiated settlement or by taking your case to court and trial, if necessary

What Is Legionnaires’ Disease?

Legionnaires’ disease, or Legionella pneumophila, is a severe type of pneumonia caused by a bacterium called Legionella. This bacterium can also cause Pontiac fever, a milder illness like the flu. While Pontiac fever usually resolves over time, untreated Legionnaires’ disease can become fatal. 

Legionella live in soil and water. Although Legionella rarely causes infections in nature, the bacterium can multiply in man-made water systems, such as HVAC systems for large buildings. Infections and outbreaks can occur when people inhale microscopic water droplets containing Legionella, such as they might from a shower or faucet spray or via water vapor from an HVAC system. 

Certain risk factors increase the chances of developing Legionnaires’ disease from exposure to Legionella. Top Legionnaires’ disease risk factors include:

• Age 50 and older
• A history of smoking
• Weakened immune system, including due to congenital conditions, diseases like HIV/AIDS, or taking immunosuppressant medications
• Chronic lung disease, such as emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Cancer

Healthcare professionals first identified Legionnaires’ disease in 1976. An outbreak of a pneumonia-like illness occurred among attendees of an American Legion convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. (The disease’s name refers to this outbreak.) Among the people attending the convention, 182 fell ill and 29 died from the disease. 

The following year, scientists identified the cause of the disease as a previously unknown bacterium subsequently named Legionella. Following the discovery of Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease, medical experts began attributing unexplained outbreaks of severe respiratory disease as far back as the 1950s to Legionella. 

What Are Symptoms of Legionnaires’ Disease?

Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease appear within two to ten days of exposure to Legionella bacterium. The first symptoms of the disease include high fever (104° F or 40° C or more), headaches, and muscle aches. After the second or third day, a person may develop such Legionnaires’ disease symptoms as:

• Coughing, including coughs that bring up mucus or blood
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Upset stomach or abdominal pain
• Confusion

Legionnaires’ disease can result in various life-threatening complications, especially if a person does not receive prompt medical treatment, such as:

• Respiratory failure – A condition in which the lungs cannot provide enough oxygen to the body or cannot adequately remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream
• Septic shock – A condition where a sudden blood pressure drop decreases blood flow to organs, and the body compensates by increasing heart rate. The additional work weakens the heart and further decreases blood flow
• Acute kidney failure – The kidneys’ inability to filter waste from the bloodstream, which can allow toxins to accumulate in the body

What Are the Common Causes for Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks?

Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks come from water sources that spray droplets containing the Legionella bacterium that people subsequently inhale. Some of the most common Legionnaires’ disease sources and causes include:

• Showerheads
• Sink faucets
• Cooling towers for central air conditioning systems
• Hot tubs
• Decorative fountains or other water features
• Water heaters
• Large plumbing systems
• Vehicle windshield wiper systems (when filled with water rather than with windshield cleaner fluid)

Where Do Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks Typically Occur?

Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease typically occur in large buildings where many people can congregate. Many outbreaks have occurred in apartment buildings, hotels, fitness centers, spas, and convention centers. Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks can also occur in settings with many at-risk individuals, such as hospitals or nursing homes. 

Where Have the Latest Outbreaks in or Near New York City Taken Place?

Unfortunately, New York City experiences a Legionnaires’ disease case every few months. Some of the most recent Legionnaires’ outbreaks in/near NYC over the past few years include:

• Several residents of the Langston Hughes Houses in Brownsville, a NYCHA development in Brooklyn, contracted Legionnaires’ disease in mid-2023, with one resident perishing from the disease.
• Two cases of Legionnaires’ disease occurred in an apartment building in the Bronx in mid-2023.
• Three guests at the InterContinental New York Barclay tested positive for Legionnaire’s disease in mid-2023
• Five residents of the Amsterdam Nursing Home in Upper Manhattan died from Legionnaires’ disease over the summer of 2022. 
• Twenty residents of the Bronx contracted Legionnaires’ disease in an outbreak occurring in the first half of 2022, and one resident died from the disease. 

Who Could Be Responsible for Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks in New York?

People who have heard about or perhaps acquired Legionnaires’ disease may wonder, “Who is liable for Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks?” Outbreaks frequently occur due to inadequate maintenance of water systems in large buildings, which allows Legionella bacteria to multiply in the systems and spread to building occupants. Examples of parties who may bear liability for a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak include:

• Apartment landlords, including the New York City Housing Authority
• Hotel owners or operators
• Spa owners
• Fitness facility operators
• Convention center operators
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• HVAC installation or maintenance companies
• Plumbing companies that install and maintain complex plumbing systems for large buildings

When you contact Harford, P.C., you’ll speak to a New York City Legionnaires’ disease lawyer who can determine the parties responsible for your injuries.

What Compensation Could You Recover in a Legionnaires’ Disease Case in New York?

In a Legionnaires’ disease lawsuit, you may have the right to pursue compensation for losses or expenses related to your illness. At Harford, P.C., we will fight to recover Legionnaires’ disease compensation that includes money for your:

• Medical treatment expenses, including emergency care, hospitalization, doctor’s appointments, and medications
• Lost wages or income from the time you need to take off work while recovering from the disease
• Lost future earning capacity and employment benefits if the disease causes you to suffer prolonged or permanent disability from work
• Physical pain and anguish from the illness and subsequent medical treatment
• Emotional trauma or distress
• Lost quality of life after disabilities or chronic conditions prevent you from participating in activities you previously enjoyed

Legionnaires’ disease can be fatal. Family members of a person who dies from Legionnaires’ disease may have the right to seek compensation in a wrongful death claim, including money for:

• Healthcare expenses incurred to treat the decedent’s illness
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Conscious pain and suffering endured by the decedent
• Loss of the decedent’s financial support to the family
• The value of support and services the decedent would have provided to the family or household
• Children’s loss of a deceased parent’s nurturing, care, and guidance
• Surviving family members’ lost inheritance

Talk to an Experienced New York City Legionnaires’ Disease/Legionella Pneumophila Attorney Today 

If you’ve contracted Legionnaires’ disease, you may have the right to pursue compensation from a property owner whose negligent maintenance led to your illness. Contact Harford, P.C., today for a free, no-obligation Legionnaires’ disease case review. You can talk to a New York City Legionnaires’ disease lawyer about how they can help you seek financial recovery for your harm and loss.