$2M damage award possible for victims’ families

Posted on November 15, 2018

The families of Legionnaires’ disease victims at the veterans’ home in Quincy could cash in big time if the House follows the Senate’s lead and overturns a veto. (Photo courtesy Facebook/Quincy Veterans Home)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The bad news about the veterans’ home in Quincy keeps on coming, but lawmakers are trying to give the families of those who died of Legionnaires’ disease some good news.

State Sen. Mike Hastings led an override of the veto of his bill to raise the limit for awards in civil suits against the state to $2 million.

“This is a special bill because fifteen people had to die over the course of three years,” Hastings told his colleagues. “This will give the families that are victims of what I very rarely say in public about anybody — it’s called gross negligence. We have now found that 1600 gallons of stagnant water infected with (the bacteria that causes) Legionnaires’ disease into the Quincy veterans’ home.”

The governor’s veto changed the limit to $300,000.

SB 2481 has passed the Senate over the governor’s veto, 46-8.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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