Family Files Lawsuit against Hotel for Legionnaire’s Disease

 Posted on November 16, 2012 in Personal Injury

On November 1^st, a family from Ireland filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a hotel in downtown Chicago.  The family claims that the Irish tourist staying at the JW Marriot was infected with Legionella bacteria from the hotel.  The JW Marriot is located at 151 W. Adams St. in THE Loop.  Marriot International Inc. is the defendant in the suit, which was filled in the Cook County Circuit Court.

Thomas Joseph Keane, 66, dined at the hotel on July 27^th of this year.  He and his wife were there to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary.  It was there that his family believes he inhaled a “dangerous aerosolized water vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria.”  The bacterium was later found in a fountain by health officials, which was subsequently removed by hotel management.  These officials also found that the hotel’s pool, whirlpool and both men’s and women’s locker rooms contained the same species of Legionella.

Keane was later diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease after his visit.  The normal incubation period for the disease is two to fourteen days after exposure.  The symptoms include headaches and high fevers only to progress to include a cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.  Keane unfortunately died from this sickness on August 29^th.  This is not the first death from the infected fountain as a man from Florida named Luis Enrique Acevedo Muro died on August 14^th after visiting the hotel from August 1^st to August 3^rd.

The lawsuit charges that the hotel and the property manager failed to ensure the safety of their hotel patrons.  First, the suit claims fault by not properly maintaining the fountain with the correct temp or control agents.  Also, the suit claims that the hotel should have warned patrons of the contamination prior to anyone getting sick.  If you or a family member have been injured from the negligence of another party, you could be entitled to compensation.  Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in Hinsdale to review your case.