It’s a safe assumption that when you walk out of a hospital, you’ll be in better health than when you walked in — or at a minimum, have a detailed plan from your doctor of how to get better. Sometimes, due to negligence on the part of the doctor, hospital, or hospital staff, patients become more ill and can ultimately die if not properly treated and cared for. Such is the case out of Chicago where a Texas family is accusing the hospital for the sickness and wrongful death of a woman by contracting Legionnaires’ from another patient as a result of the organization’s negligence.
Legionnaires’ disease is an aggressive variety of pneumonia caused by legionella bacteria and inflames the lungs. Most cases of Legionnaires’ contract it via inhalation of infected water or soil; people with compromised & weakened immune system, as well as long-time smokers, are susceptible to contracting the disease. It can take up to 10 days to contract the disease after exposure, but can painfully affect victims after only two with headaches, 104-degree fevers, shortness of breath, chest pains, and more.
According to the Texas medical malpractice attorney on the case, the woman was admitted to the Chicago hospital for a clinical trial to help her with multiple sclerosis and had her immune system suppressed as part of her treatment. While staying in the hospital, the family alleges that she caught the disease from another patient on the same floor via contaminated water.
Currently, an investigation is ongoing to determine how precisely the Texas woman could have contracted Legionnaires’ disease with some speculation saying it came from a culture growing in the sink on the floor. As the case develops, we hope to know more and to update with the legal (and likely) court findings regarding a malpractice verdict.
If you, or a loved one, has fallen ill while receiving treatment at a medical organization, contact our offices immediately so we can investigate if you are a victim of medical malpractice. Our expert attorneys are ready to help you through this battle.
