Cryptosporidium Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Cryptosporidium Blog

10/18/2005

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An outbreak at the Seneca Lake State Park, New York, sprayground last summer caused illnesses in nearly 4,000 people and spawned a class action lawsuit against New York State. A small group of state officials met Monday to discuss the matter further.

The stories say the group did not spend time talking about the lawsuit. Instead, they focused on what needs to be done so that an outbreak of cryptosporidium does not happen again. Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), chair of the Health Committee, was quoted as saying, "Apparently ultraviolet light is enormously effective at killing the cryptosporidium microbe, where other things like filtration or chlorine are no where near as effective."

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By LAUREN LONG
Finger Lakes Times
llong@fltimes.com

WATERLOO - As state health officials look for ways to make public spray park water safer, plans are progressing for a new spray park at the Community Center in Waterloo - one that will use fresh, not recycled, water.

"Ours is all potable water," said Community Center Director Mike Slywka, noting that the new state regulations expected to be released next month should have little impact on their project.

While the cause of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness at Seneca Lake State Park this summer hasn't been determined, officials said the parasite cryptosporidium was found in the tanks through which the water was circulated.

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Patrice Walsh (Ontario County, NY) 10/18/05 - A day at the park turned out to be anything but for hundreds of Rochester-area families who were among the thousands sickened after visiting the spray park at Seneca Lake this summer.

Toni Lynn Van Bramer remembers telling her four-year-old son Joshua not to drink the water at the spray park when they visited in August. A week later, both of them were sick with gastrointestinal symptoms.

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Lauren Stanforth
Staff writer

(October 18, 2005) - New York state Assemblyman Joseph Morelle met with state health and park officials Monday to learn more about how the state will protect itself in the future against parasitic outbreaks at sprayparks.

Morelle, D-Irondequoit, chairman of the Assembly's committee on tourism, arts and sports development, has closely followed happenings after a parasite was found in water at the Seneca Lake State Park Sprayground in mid-August.

The outbreak caused at least 3,869 people to develop a gastrointestinal illness.

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Lauren Stanforth
Staff writer

(October 17, 2005) - New York state Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, was meeting with New York state health and park officials today in Rochester, hoping to learn more about the state's investigation into the parasite outbreak at Seneca Lake State Park's Sprayground this past summer.

Morelle was being joined by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, chairman of the Assembly's committee on health. Morelle is chairman of the committee on tourism, arts and sports development.

A Morelle spokesman this morning said the assemblyman wanted to learn whether the state had figured out how the parasite cryptosporidium had gotten into the Sprayground's water system, and what kind of regulations the state was writing to prevent this kind of outbreak from happening again.

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ChannelCincinnati.com
October 13, 2005

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio -- A parasite that was originally found in Tri-State pools has spread into day-care centers, News 5's Juliette Vara reported.

Susan Micky, of Clermont County, said her 3-year-old daughter suffered for two weeks with the common symptoms of cryptosporidium.

"She had a lot of cramping," Micky said. "She would hold her stomach and wake up in the middle of the night, running to the bathroom."

Christina is feeling better thanks to medication, but Mickey said she was worried about what would happen to her girl.

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By CRAIG FOX
Finger Lakes Times
cfox@fltimes.com

A lawyer representing about 250 people who became ill after visiting the Seneca Lake State Park spraypark was scheduled to appear in a court of claims in Syracuse this morning to get the state to notify everyone who is eligible to join the suit his firm has filed.

Rochester attorney Paul Nunes wants the state to notify each of the 4,000 people who contacted the Depart-ment of Health because time is running out on the 90 days they have to file a notice of claim to preserve their right to sue.

"This comes in the general heading of: It's the right thing to do," Nunes said.

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10/8/05

VICTIMS of a tap water bug have today spoken of their horrific battles against the gut-wrenching infection.

People across our communities have been struck down by a widespread outbreak of the parasite cryptosporidium.

The bug which causes severe upset stomachs is believed to have come from the River Itchen, which has treated sewage flowing into it.

Water chiefs have closed the treatment plant as a precaution, but say there could be other explanations.

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The outbreak of a stomach illness at a spray park in Geneva has now moved into an upstate courtroom and it could soon become a class-action lawsuit. In a Syracuse courthouse Wednesday a Rochester lawyer says he has more than 250 clients who say they got sick from the spray park. But Paul Nunes says he knows there are thousands of other victims out there and he hopes they know their rights. "Giving notice to the department of health is not enough. You have to file a claim against the state of New York to protect your rights and time is running out."

Nunes says many of his clients did not know they had to take that step so he came to the court of claims to ask a judge to require the state to tell all 4,000 people that information.

The attorney generals office, which is defending the state, says it's a ridiculous request.

"What the claimants are looking for today is essentially an invitation from the State of New York to file a lawsuit against it," said Assistant New York Attorney General Winthrop Thurlow.

Thurlow says by now, most people who got sick from the spray park should either know their legal rights and/or have taken legal action.

He says it's an unnecessary step, one that is not within the law and one that would benefit Nunes and his law firm by bringing them more clients.

Nunes says that's not the motivation. He says just look at the paperwork. Some people got so sick; they were hospitalized and missed weeks of work. A wrong he says, that should not go unpunished because they don't understand the legal system.

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