It seems an interesting question, wouldn’t getting sick seem like an inevitable part of the job? To some extent, yes, people do assume the risk of getting sick when they work in a hospital. But, like all things, it depends on the situation. Here, a nurse successful settled for money damages after she sued her hospital because she contracted Ebola. This post will go over the claim and how it relates to you.
Ebola was all over the news a few years ago however courts are only recently getting to the point where they can resolve the cases involving it. The nurse in question was the first person infected with Ebola in the United States.
The grounds of the plaintiff’s claim were that she was inadequately trained and given sub-par equipment to care for the infected patient. Her argument essentially boiled down to the fact that her infection was inevitable because the hospital did a poor job of preparing her. She and the hospital ended up settling the dispute out of court for an undisclosed amount.
This case illustrates the nuance of workplace illnesses and the extent of employer liability. Employees can sue, even if they know the infection is a part of the job, provided the employer did an inadequate job of preparing them.
If you contracted a Workplace Illness because your employer did not sufficiently train or provide you with the tools to fight the infection, then you may want to contact a lawyer. As illustrated above, you can sue your employer if you get sick, even if you know what you are treating or handling. The key to the suit breaks down to the details, what you knew, what the employer knew, and how you were prepared to handle the matter. A lawyer can go over the specifics with you and help you determine the best way to secure compensation for your illness.
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