Settlement in the works in cryptosporidia sprayground class action
Craig Fox of the Finger Lake Times reported today that attorneys are ready to begin negotiating an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit that claims about 2,000 people became sick with a waterborne intestinal illness after visiting the sprayground at Seneca Lake State Park four years ago.
The suit filed with the state Attorney General’s office is against the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and seeks compensation for damages, including pain and suffering, medical expenses and lost wages. The class action suit involves an outbreak related to the waterborne microscopic parasite cryptosporidia — which is spread through feces — between June 1 and Aug. 17, 2005. The plaintiffs allege that the outbreak was the result of contaminated water at the spraypark, and that the parks department was negligent..
The sprayground was closed from mid-August 2005 until May 2006, until new equipment was installed to stop the water from being recycled through its many stations and to prevent another outbreak from occurring.
