Wrongful Death in Hopkins Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak
One person has died in the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to contaminated water in Hopkins, Minnesota. Our thoughts are with the family.
On Monday, the case count in the outbreak rose to 12. Five additional cases have been confirmed, bringing the outbreak count to 17, and that number may grow, according to Doug Schultz with the Minnesota Department of Health. (September 30 update: There are now 23 people sickened in the outbreak.)
“The incubation period for Legionnaires’ disease can be as long as 10 days,” said Minneapolis attorney Fred Pritzker, who represents Legionnaires’ disease victims and their families throughout the United States. “Once a patient is diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, additional testing needs to be done to determine if the patient was sickened in this particular outbreak.”
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his team are representing people sickened in this outbreak.
All of the people sickened in the outbreak live in, work in or visited Hopkins.
The outbreak investigation is focused on finding the source or sources of the outbreak in Hopkins. Investigators are looking at buildings and other water sources within a 2 mile radius of the intersection of Highway 169 and Excelsior Boulevard, including a Supervalu warehouse, the Thermotech plastic injection facility and a decorative fountain owned by Cargill. Water from the buildings and fountain is being tested for the presence of Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia sometimes referred to as Legionella pneumonia or Legionellosis.
“It takes time for Legionella tests to be completed and analyzed, but we are confident that one or more sources of this outbreak will be found,” said attorney Pritzker.
Most of the people sickened are still hospitalized. All of the victims of this outbreak have suffered extreme pain and emotional suffering. The families have had to watch their loved ones fight for their lives. And all of this pain and suffering was preventable with good water system maintenance and Legionella testing.
Fluorescent antibody (DFA)-stained photomicrograph of a right upper lobe lung autopsy specimen revealing the presence of HEBA strain, Gram-negative Legionella bacteria.
Wrongful Death of a Family Member
The life of every person, regardless of age or health, has immeasurable value and no amount of money can make it right. The best that can be done legally is for the family to seek compensation and justice by filing a wrongful death lawsuit under Minnesota law.
When our lawyers file a wrongful death lawsuit for a family, our law firm can get access to relevant business and health department documents that are not made public. “Families deserve answers and they deserve accountability,” said attorney Eric Hageman, a lead lawyer for our law firm’s Legionnaires’ disease cases.
