Wrongful death lawsuit: Patient died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease at local hospital - WTAE

What the report says

WTAE Pittsburgh reports that UPMC Mercy Hospital and two physicians are facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Barbara Primiero, a Jefferson Hills woman acting as administrator of her late husband’s estate. The complaint, filed Tuesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, alleges Reno Primiero contracted Legionnaires’ disease while hospitalized and later died after his symptoms were not properly addressed.

According to the court papers cited by WTAE, Primiero, 62, was admitted to UPMC Mercy on Nov. 4, 2024, with a swollen arm and diagnosed with olecranon bursitis. The lawsuit says he was immunocompromised and developed fever, cough and other symptoms before being discharged Nov. 7. It alleges he returned on Nov. 11 in worse condition and was diagnosed with Legionella pneumonia, acute hypoxic respiratory failure and septic shock.

The lawsuit claims Primiero was exposed to Legionella pneumophila bacteria through the hospital’s water supply or another water source at the facility, and that defendants knew or should have known his immune status made him especially vulnerable. It argues his death on Nov. 23, 2024, followed a preventable series of medical complications tied to an unsafe environment and delayed or inadequate treatment.

WTAE reported that UPMC did not comment directly on the litigation, but said UPMC Mercy reports positive Legionella cases to the Allegheny County Health Department. UPMC said the department conducted extensive testing on Nov. 20, 2024, and that testing did not find Legionella pneumophila. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia associated with inhaling contaminated water droplets, and cases linked to health care settings can raise infection-control concerns.