Lawsuit Alleges Fatal Hot Tub Soak

A condominium complex in Pomona has been hit with a lawsuit from the estate of a man who died after using its hot tub, according to a report in The Journal News.

Patrick Friel, of Derry, Northern Ireland, contracted a MRSA infection, the lawsuit said. MRSA is a treatment-resistant bacteria that causes staph infections. He was taken originally to Nyack Hospital and then transferred to Westchester Medical Center, where he died Sept. 24, 2013.

The lawsuit alleges that the hot tub at The Gardens at Palisades condominiums had been cited by the Rockland County Health Department and was shut down after Friel died.

Read the entire article on lohud.com.

According to the Centers for Disease Control:

most MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. They often first look like spider bites or bumps that are red, swollen, and painful. These skin infections commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and areas of the body covered by hair (e.g., back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit, beard area of men).

Anyone can get MRSA through direct contact with an infected wound or by sharing personal items, such as towels or razors, that have touched infected skin. MRSA infection risk can be increased when a person is in certain activities or places that involve crowding, skin-to-skin contact, and shared equipment or supplies.