NEW YORK, NY — Ronald J. Katter, the Legionnaires’ disease Lawyer, said the New York City Department of Health’s October 9, 2024, report of two Legionnaires’ disease cases at Co-op City in the Bronx, New York, in the last year, is alarming. According to Mr. Katter, Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks would not occur, unless property owners fail to perform legally required testing and maintenance of their buildings’ water systems. Owners, who fail to comply with the law, are liable to for the sickness and harm which result.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the Legionella bacteria. The bacteria can grow in warm water found in cooling towers, hot water tanks, and plumbing systems. People contract the disease when they breathe water vapor containing the bacteria.
Mr. Katter says it is critical that anyone who experiences Legionnaires’ disease symptoms — which may include any of the following: headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, coughs, gastrointestinal symptoms or confusion — seek immediate medical attention. “For the at-risk population who are over 50 years old, smokers, individuals with chronic respiratory ailments or compromised immune systems, Legionnaires’ disease can be life-threatening, so, for them, time is of the essence.” Mr. Katter also urges those seeking medical attention to “tell their physicians about the outbreak, so that they can be properly tested.”
Co-op City has had prior Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks, with fatalities. In 2018, a cluster of the disease at the apartment complex killed one person and sickened two others. A deadly Co-op City outbreak in 2015 resulted in two deaths and 31 being sickened. The cause was traced to one of the complex’s cooling towers.
“This was not the first time that Legionnaires’ disease has sickened Co-op City’s residents,” Mr. Katter said. “Had the property owners followed local law and kept the cooling towers properly cleaned and maintained, there would be no more Legionnaires’ outbreaks.”
Mr. Katter is a skilled advocate and highly experienced in representing clients who were sickened with Legionnaires’ disease. He has taken legal action against building owners who willfully refuse to clean and maintain the buildings’ water systems. For more information, call (212) 809-4293 or visit www.katterlaw.com.
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About The Katter Law Firm
For more than 33 years, The Katter Law Firm represented clients in personal injury cases including those who have suffered injuries from Legionnaires’ disease, automobile accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, truck accidents, slip/trip and falls, hotel accidents, assaults, workplace accidents, construction accidents, professional malpractice, nursing home negligence, hospital mistreatment, police abuse, accidental deaths and pet attacks. The firm aggressively and successfully represents clients throughout NYC’s five boroughs and the surrounding counties. For more information, call (212) 809-4293 or visit www.katterlaw.com.
