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Additional wrongful death claims have been filed following a Legionnaires' disease outbreak that killed at least seven people in Harlem and sickened over one hundred others. On Tuesday, Reverend Al Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump announced a third lawsuit and four new wrongful death claims against Skanska USA, the construction company linked to one of the contaminated cooling towers. The outbreak, which investigators traced back to cooling towers at Harlem Hospital and a nearby construction site, has sparked calls for increased safety measures.
City officials have confirmed that the outbreak has ended, but they are advocating for new regulations that would require cooling towers to be inspected every 30 days instead of the current 90-day interval. According to ABC7NY, many victims were initially misdiagnosed with pneumonia, leading to delays in proper treatment. Attorney Jared Scotto emphasized the importance of regular maintenance, stating, "Legionellas is a predictable and foreseeable harm if those cooling towers aren’t tested and cleaned on a regular basis."
NY1 reports that the city has identified 114 confirmed cases, including 90 hospitalizations. However, attorneys believe the actual number of affected individuals may be higher. Families of the victims have expressed frustration over the lack of timely information and proper diagnosis. Lakisha Plowden, whose partner Bruce Scott died during the outbreak, shared her ordeal, stating, "He walked out the door in an ambulance and never came back."
The city and Skanska have been criticized for failing to register and inspect the cooling towers, allowing the disease to spread. The New York Post highlights that up to 20 people may have died from the outbreak, significantly more than the official count.
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