Dr. Joseph Mollura began working full time as the medical director at the SCI Pittsburgh about four years ago. However, Dr. Mollura died on August 8, 2016 after he developed Legionnaires’ disease. His family filed a lawsuit on May 4, 2017 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, alleging that Dr. Mollura developed Legionnaires’ disease from working at SCI Pittsburgh. The family filed suit against the state Department of Corrections and Capital Technologies, the company that was hired to provide water services to the prison. The family claims wrongful death, suggesting that the prison first detected high levels of Legionella bacteria in the cooling tower on the building where Dr. Mollura worked as early as May 2016, but failed to inform the medical staff- including Dr. Mollura- of same. The prison issued a press release on September 1, 2016, claiming that the state had found “higher than acceptable levels of Legionella” in the cooling tower and medical building, and that the facility had begun providing bottled water to employees and prisoners. Ms. Lorraine DiNatale, Dr. Mollura’s daughter, commented that despite the measures the state began to take, “It was too little too late.” More information is available here.
Death of State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh Medical Director from Legionnaires’ Disease Sparks Lawsuit was last modified: June 1st, 2017 by
Categories: