Lawsuits begin after Legionnaires outbreak tears through New York City: ‘It’s completely preventable’

Two construction workers who were infected with Legionnaires’ disease after a ‘completely preventable’ outbreak occurred in New York City are launching lawsuits against two companies for alleged negligence that led to the outbreak.

Duane Headley and Nunzio Quinto, two men from Nassau County in Long Island, said in separate complaints on Wednesday that they were infected with the potentially deadly disease while working on construction sites at or near Harlem Hospital Center – the epicenter of the outbreak.

More than 100 people have been infected with the respiratory infection, and at least five have died after contracting it from a dozen cooling towers on top of Harlem Hospital Center that contained the Legionella bacteria and then spread through the air nearby.

Headley, who filed the complaint against Rising Sun Construction LLC, and Quinto, who filed a complaint against Skanska USA Building, Inc., say the companies failed to maintain the properties or test the cooling towers for bacteria, resulting in the city’s worst Legionnaire’s disease outbreak in a decade.

“This medical tragedy that led to the deaths of five citizens from Harlem, that we know about, was a completely preventable outbreak,” Ben Crump, the well-known civil rights attorney representing the men, said in a press conference on Wednesday.

“It was completely preventable. And so when corporations cut corners, tragedies like this happen, preventable tragedies, unnecessary tragedies, people being hospitalized for days and weeks, having issues that cause them permanent damage,” Crump said.

A spokesperson for Skanska told The Independent that they cannot comment on pending litigation, but that the company has “fully cooperated with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to facilitate the inspection and disinfection of the cooling tower at the building currently under construction at 40 West 137th Street.”

“We will continue to implement all necessary mitigation and communication procedures to ensure the safety of our workers and the surrounding public,” the spokesperson for Skanska said.

The Independent has asked Rising Sun Construction LLC for comment.

New York City Health and Hospitals reportedly sent out a “bulletin” in early July warning construction companies of legionella developing, Jared Scotto, an attorney also representing the workers, said.

However, upon a series of cases developing in Central Harlem, the city discovered that several cooling towers atop the buildings tested positive for the bacteria. Fans from the cooling towers had been spreading the droplets in the air, causing people nearby to inhale the droplets.

The towers had been remediated as of Friday, city officials said on Monday.

Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was going to evaluate to determine if more inspections could prevent future outbreaks from occurring.

Reverend Al Sharpton, who joined Wednesday’s press conference at his National Action Network’s headquarters, said it was “frightening” to see a lack of accountability.

The construction workers are seeking compensation for the physical and emotional pain, as well as lost income as a result of being sick.

But in addition to the two complaints filed on Wednesday, a group of New Yorkers infected with the disease is also gearing up to launch lawsuits, two attorneys told Pix11.

One of those attorneys, Jory Lange, is representing at least 40 people who have become ill from the outbreak.

“It’s disturbing to see these outbreaks happening again and again in New York City when we know it’s completely preventable,” Lange said.