We go to the hospital to get better, not worse. But all too often, if proper care is not administered, it is possible to leave a hospital sicker than when you were admitted. This is what happened to four patients who allegedly contracted Legionnaire's disease from being exposed to contaminated water during hospital stays.

One of the four patients brought a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital and several building contractors in charge of building a new water tower at the facility. The lawsuit alleges that "adequate chlorine levels were not employed during the flush of ... water systems" after the new water tower went into operation.

The lawsuit alleges that the hospital did not go through the proper procedures required of hospitals when the new water tower was installed and neglected "to have in force an inspection program of its systems when such inspection would have disclosed the presence of legionella [bacteria]."

The plaintiff alleges that he and three other patients contracted Legionnaire's disease in the first 3 weeks of February 2011. He said that he was exposed to the dangerous bacteria while he was hospitalized in the new patient tower at the hospital and used the "showers, faucets, and other water systems."

The plaintiff is seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages as a result of negligence and breach of contract on the part of the hospital and other named defendants.

Hospitals take care of the sick and vulnerable, which is why it is so important that they take health and safety protocols very seriously. All buildings must be safe and up to code, but hospitals especially must be free from bacteria and other dangerous substances that put patients at risk.

Source: Courthouse News Service, "Hospital Blamed for Legionnaire's Disease," Kevin Koeninger, Feb. 13, 2012