Poisoning death leads to lawsuit against Southern Nevada Health District

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Poisoning death leads to lawsuit against Southern Nevada Health District

April 23, 2009 05:16 PM PDT

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_Poisoning death leads to lawsuit against Southern Nevada Health District

- 04/23_ (http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10240123 & nav=15MV#)

2:46

He devoted his career to keeping other healthy and ended up losing his life

due to a preventable environmental hazard. It's hard to believe where it

all started.

Dan uck worked at the Southern Nevada Health District, the place where

doctors believe he was infected with toxic mold.

News 3 first broke the story in 2006 and now, as News 3's_

Whaley_ (mailto:kwhaley@...) reports, his family claims they are

suffering

from the same illness and many others could be at risk.

In the months before his death, Dan uck battled memory loss, skin

sores, and organ failure. Dan spent the last years of his life fighting an

agency dedicated to public health; one he believes exposed him to the fungus

that would eventually kill him.

Dan died in 2007 despite repeated efforts he made to have toxic mold

removed from the environmental wing at the Southern Nevada Health District

where

he worked. But Dan's health was only the beginning of an uphill battle for

his family, who are now facing the same infection.

" A lot of my teeth came out in pieces and they were black as coal because

of the mold, " Dan's wife uck told News 3. " ...it's been hard -

emotionally, financially, in every way possible. I basically had what he was

dying from. "

, daughter Chrissy, and even his caretaker Dean, say they are

recovering from mold poisoning from cross-contamination. That's an infection

caused

by mold spores they believe were carried into their home days after day on

Dan's clothing.

The ucks believe there could be many more victims out there; people

exposed to the toxic mold who worked at the Southern Nevada Health District or

even folks who simply came into the building.

That's one reason the family is filing a lawsuit. In addition, they are

doing it to recover medical costs and lost wages and bring awareness to what

they claim is negligence, carelessness, and recklessness on the part of the

Health District.

" We believe that there is a strong possibility that there are many others

out there that have been affected and they just don't know, " attorney Tracey

Eglet said.

And now, as the family struggles to regain its own health, they're hoping

the courts will help them protect the health of many others.

" He (Dan) was a man who had great integrity and believed in doing his job

thoroughly and that's why he took the stand he did, " said .

We called the Southern Nevada Health District, but they are not making

comments at this time. Two other plaintiffs are named in this lawsuit,

including a former colleague of Dan uck and her husband.

Lawyers have not ruled out the possibility of a class action lawsuit. A

previous lawsuit to recover damages from Dan's death was filed in 2007. It is

now pending in federal court. No trial date has been set.

Sharon Noonan Kramer

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