Sacramento Legionnaires Disease Lawyer

Legionnaires disease is a form of severe pneumonia that causes the lungs to become inflamed. The condition is caused by the legionella bacteria, which are found in water and soil. Property owners and those responsible for designing, manufacturing, and maintaining water systems can be held liable for paying damages when their negligence results in someone else contracting the disease. These claims are extremely complex, though. Our Sacramento Legionnaires disease lawyer outlines what you need to know about these claims below.

Just because someone contracts Legionnaire’s disease does not mean another person is automatically liable. For someone to be liable, they must have acted negligently and that negligence must have caused someone else harm.

In most Legionnaires disease cases, property owners are liable for a person developing the condition. Property owners have a legal obligation to ensure their premises are safe for anyone who enters it. This obligation extends to the water source on a property. Property owners must ensure any water source has proper disinfectant and pH levels that kill bacteria such as legionella.

In other instances, any party who negligently manufactured, designed, engineered, inspected, or maintained the water system can also be held liable for exposure to legionella. These entities also have a legal duty to ensure that they ensure the water system and source are safe to consume so no one becomes sick.

There is a lot of documentation that can strengthen your Legionnaire’s case. Your medical records are of critical importance to show that you were exposed and have suffered harm. Other important records that are not so easy to obtain include documents only certain companies have access to, such as the property owner or a maintenance company. A Legionnaires disease attorney in Sacramento can use a subpoena or court order to collect this evidence and can also gather your medical records so you can focus on your recovery while collecting full damages.

Other important evidence used in Legionnaire’s cases often includes expert and eyewitness testimony, and photographs that can visually show how sick a person became. Expert testimony can establish causation, and the substantial impact the illness had on the patient and their family members. Eyewitnesses can testify about the negligent maintenance issues that caused the exposure, or the fact that the property owner should have known but did nothing to correct the problem. For example, if a hospital had a Legionnaires disease outbreak and the administrator did nothing about decontaminating the water source, they can be held liable if someone else became sick.

If you or someone you love has become sick after being exposed to legionella bacteria, our Sacramento Legionnaires disease attorney at Brod Law Firm can help. Our seasoned attorney knows how to determine who is liable for paying damages for your injuries and will help you secure the full and fair settlement you are entitled to. Call us now at (800) 427-7020 or fill out our online form to schedule a free review of your case.