Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Logan woman filed a lawsuit against the village and its water department, saying she contracted Legionnaire’s disease from contaminated water last year.
Sheryl Hackney filed the three-page complaint for damages on Nov. 7 in Quay County District Court through the Parnall Law Firm of Albuquerque.
In the complaint, Hackney states she was hospitalized in August 2022 with Legionella pneumonia “caused by contaminated water from the Village of Logan.”
The lawsuit alleges the village and its employees “failed to make a reasonable inspection of the roadway and manhole cover that would have revealed the dangerous condition” of its bathing and drinking water.
Hackney is requesting a judgment for compensatory and punitive damages for her injuries and medical expenses, plus court courts.
The Parnall Law Firm three days later filed a peremptory excusal of District Judge Albert Mitchell Jr. from hearing the case. Another judge will be assigned.
An email requesting comment to Logan village attorney Jared Najjar was not answered.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionnaires’ disease can be caused when a person inhales small droplets of water or accidentally swallows water containing the Legionella bacteria into the lungs.
Legionella was discovered after an outbreak in 1976 among people who attended a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion. Those who were affected suffered from a type of pneumonia that eventually became known as Legionnaires’ disease.