Wites & Rogers announces that it has settled the cases of two guests of the Best Western Sovereign in Albany, New York, after they suffered severe injuries when they contracted Legionnaire’s disease during stays at the hotel. Both men were exposed when they showered, brushed their teeth, and drank water from the hotel’s water system that had been infected with high rates of the Legionella pneumophila bacteria.
One of the firm’s clients was admitted to the hospital after spending just one night in the hotel, after experiencing acute symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease, a form of bacterial pneumonia that can be extremely severe. He remained hospitalized for two months, some of it in ICU under an induced coma.
A second Wites & Rogers client stayed at the hotel for nearly 8 weeks in early 2012, and was subsequently admitted to St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany for treatment of Legionnaire’s disease.
The New York Department of Health recorded several cases of Legionnaire’s disease linked to the hotel in late 2011 and early 2012, many of which pre-dated the stays by Wites & Rogers’s clients. The Legionella bacteria is found mostly in water and moist soil and is not transferable between humans. Although many people suffer relatively mild symptoms similar to the flu, some victims experience extremely serious symptoms. Serious cases can result in death.
Marc Wites , a partner of the firm, explained that “Wites & Rogers is pleased that we have been able to reach settlements that will compensate our clients for their medical expenses, their lost wages, and the pain and suffering that they endured.”
