Lawyer claims NYC Legionnaires outbreak may have killed as many as 20 people

New York attorney Ben Crump on Tuesday told reporters that the death toll from New York City's Legionnaires disease outbreak is likely vastly underreported and expects as many as 20 people have actually died in the outbreak.

The New York City Health department said that as of Aug. 29 there have been 114 confirmed Legionnaires cases, 90 hospitalizations and seven deaths. Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by legionella bacteria.

Crump said that his caseload has risen to 35 people, including the families of four people who died from the disease, who are filing notices of claims against the city and wrongful death lawsuits. 

"This outbreak has claimed lives, and we believe deaths are being undercounted," Crump said, per AMNY. "These were vibrant people until Legionnaires took them away. It was completely preventable, and that is the real crime.”

Some family members and Legionnaire survivors claimed that it took a long time for doctors to test them or inform them that they had Legionnaires. Lakisha Plowden said it took the city a month to tell her that her husband died from Legionnaires. The hospital initially said the cause of death was pneumonia. 

“If they can get away with it here, they can get away with it elsewhere,” Rev. Al Sharpton said at the news briefing. “How many people did they not test for Legionnaires’ disease that could have been saved?”

The outbreak has been traced back to cooling towers atop Harlem Hospital and a nearby laboratory construction project.

“We mourn those who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with their loved ones. Thanks to our swift efforts, we were able to save countless more lives in the face of this outbreak,” a New York City spokesperson said. “As we prepare for any future outbreaks, we have put forward concrete actions we are already taking to improve all aspects of this process and support proposed legislation to strengthen laws and requirements for building owners, which are already among the strongest in the country.” 

Another Legionnaires outbreak has been confirmed in Iowa, where two people have died from the disease so far. No exact cause of the outbreak has been identified so far.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.