Two construction workers who contracted Legionnaires’ disease while working at a site in New York City have filed lawsuits against two construction management firms they allege should be held responsible for the workplace conditions that caused them to contract the disease.
Nunzio Quinto and Duane Headley were hospitalized in July after contracting the disease while working on separate projects near a large complex that included Harlem Hospital and retail units. The city’s Legionnaires’ disease outbreak has been linked to cooling towers in the complex that use water and a fan to cool buildings.
The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings. Remediation efforts have been undertaken in the towers
There have been four deaths, more than 100 diagnosed cases, and more than 17 people hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, according to the city.
The lawsuits have been brought against construction management firms Rising Sun Construction and Skanska USA Building that hired the subcontractors. Quinto and Headley allege the construction firms failed to take reasonable steps to correct the conditions to make their workplace safe and they claim the firms are strictly liable for their injuries under New York’s labor law.
Weitz & Luxenberg, the law firm of nationally-known civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, is representing the plaintiffs.
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