Las Vegas Hotels Sued Over Legionnaires’ Death

Another disturbing Legionnaires’ disease case in Las Vegas at two off-Strip properties results in a lawsuit. The estate of Gary Curtis Jones is alleging that the man contracted the deadly disease while spending five nights at the properties, which ultimately led to his death almost three years ago, on April 2, 2023.

Rapid Disease Progress 

The complaint was filed in Clark County District Court and claimed that the South Point Hotel Casino and The Grandview were negligent in protecting guests from Legionella, the bacterium responsible for causing Legionnaires’ disease. 

Jones, a 54-year-old Alabama resident, was in Las Vegas for work. Although he had recently been diagnosed with cancer, he was considered healthy enough to travel and continue working.

According to the lawsuit, Jones stayed at The Grandview from March 12 to 16 and the South Point from March 16 to 17. Once he returned home, he began experiencing fatigue and other common symptoms of Legionella infections, and his condition quickly worsened, leaving him unable to speak and breathe on his own by April 1.

He was then admitted to an intensive care unit in Alabama, where he developed respiratory failure and severe sepsis, which the complaint attributes to Legionnaires’ disease.

According to the Review-Journal, the suit claims that doctors had to flush “purulent, brown fluid” from the man’s lungs.

Originally, the man claimed that he did not stay at The Grandview during the incubation period, as per information in the lawsuit. The statement, however, later proved not to be true, as the Southern Nevada Health District checked his stay with the employers who had made the booking. 

Legionella bacteria has been detected in several samples at both the South Point and The Grandview in recent years, prompting the Southern Nevada Health District to require guest notifications whenever positive results are found. 

More on Legionnaires’ Disease

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious form of pneumonia that can cause fever, cough, headaches, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. 

While most healthy people exposed to the bacteria do not usually get sick, those who are dealing with preexisting health conditions or weakened immune systems are at higher risk. Severe cases can lead to lung failure and death. 

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 10 people who contract Legionnaires’ disease die from complications, and the fatality rate rises to one in four when contracted in healthcare settings.

The estate is now seeking a jury trial and compensation for wrongful death, alleging that the two Las Vegas hotels failed to protect guests from the risks of Legionella exposure.