Pittsburgh World War II veteran sues VA over Legionnaire’s
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A World War II veteran who says he contracted Legionnaire’s disease at a Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs hospital has filed a lawsuit against the federal department that runs the facility.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports John McCluskey and his wife, Joan, sued the Veterans Affairs Department on Thursday.
They say the Plum man was diagnosed after drinking water at the VA’s University Drive hospital in 2011 and 2012.
The lawsuit says McCluskey joined the Army in 1944 and was a paratrooper in the Battle of the Bulge.
Legionnaire’s disease is a severe form of pneumonia spread by bacteria commonly found in water supplies.
An outbreak at Pittsburgh VA facilities killed at least six patients and sickened 22 from February 2011 to November 2012.
A VA spokesman didn’t immediately return a message.