If you or a loved one has contracted Legionnaires’ disease, you’ll be desperate to get answers quickly. With our years of experience helping people with Legionnaires’ and their families, we know what’s needed to help you move forward. Our expert team will be able to advise you if you’re able to get compensation for contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

If you’ve contracted Legionnaires' disease because of someone else's negligence, we could help you secure compensation. Contact our friendly expert team today to discuss your situation.

We can help you to make a compensation claim whether you became ill in the UK or while abroad on holiday.

The team can help you to make sense of the various support services, such as the benefits system or how the NHS can help you. They’ll explain how they work, and how they can benefit you.

Sadly, this illness could result in the death of a loved one. If you’ve lost a loved one because they had Legionnaires’ disease, we’re here to help you.

Why choose Irwin Mitchell to handle your Legionnaires’ disease compensation claim?

Our specialist team of illness solicitors have decades of experience in successfully representing clients in Legionnaires’ disease claims. We’ve secured more compensation in personal injury claims than any other UK law firm, and we continually work to build on our knowledge and experience. We have a specialist International team, who have knowledge of jurisdictions and cross-boarder legal requirements.

We aren’t just here to help you get compensation for your illness. We’re here for you and your family. Our dedicated Support and Rehabilitation team will be with you every step of the way. Their role includes making sure you’ve got access to healthcare professionals that will aid your recovery or adapt to any life changes.

If your illness causes you to have long-term breathing difficulties, we work with Asthma and Lung UK. This organisation can offer support and advice as you look to move on with your life.

Our Welfare Benefits team will make sure you’re aware of all the extra financial support you may be entitled to because of your illness. We can also set up a personal injury trust on your behalf, which protects your compensation from being considered when calculating any means-tested benefits you could claim.

Our solicitors understand that making an illness claim can be stressful, so we do all we can to make the process as easy for you as possible. This includes how we work together. We can arrange to visit you at home or in hospital or set up phone or video calls if you’d rather work this way. If you’d prefer to talk in person in a comfortable and confidential space, we also have offices across the UK.

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More information on Legionnaires' disease compensation claims

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We are extremely grateful to Irwin Mitchell who diligently pursued our cases for us."

Ken, Client

Client Story ‐ Legionnaires' disease group claim settlement

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“The money can’t make up for the trauma caused, but it goes some way to helping each of them move on.” - James Blower, Solicitor

Frequently Asked Questions

Who’s responsible for outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease?

Anyone in charge of a building has a responsibility to keep its water systems well-maintained and free of contamination. If you become ill because they’ve failed in their duty of care, you could make a claim for compensation.

Water should be cooled or heated to ensure that it isn't in the temperature 'danger zone' of 20-45C. It also needs to keep moving and be free of impurities. Systems should be regularly checked and if any faults are found, they need to be fixed immediately to prevent contamination leading to illness. Issues reported by guests or tenants, such as dirty water coming out of taps or smells coming from air conditioning ducts, must be fixed.

There are strict health and safety regulations in place that govern the maintenance of water systems. This is to prevent illnesses such as Legionnaires' disease. Anyone failing to adhere to these regulations is liable if it results in illness.

If you or a loved one has Legionnaires’ disease due to a failure to adhere to regulations, we’re here to help you make a claim.

What is Legionnaires' disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious infection, caused by the legionella bacteria. It’s caught by breathing in droplets of contaminated water because of water systems not being maintained properly, it is preventable with basic water management practices.

It's a serious lung condition caused by infected water, caused by bacteria called Legionella, which is fairly common in natural water supplies. However, when the bacteria are in the right condition to multiply, it can spread quickly and cause Legionnaires', a form of pneumonia.

If you contract Legionnaires’ disease, you’ll experience physical and mental effects. Although most people make a full recovery, Legionnaires' disease can be fatal. Complications such as organ failure and sepsis cause 10% of otherwise healthy people to die after contracting the disease, or lead to long term medical conditions.

There are two factors that help Legionella spread:

  • A water temperature between 20 and 45°C
  • A food source in the water for bacteria – such as limescale, rust or algae

Large buildings with more complex water systems – such as hotels, museums or spas – are at a greater risk of legionella contamination. As the disease is usually preventable, you may be able to claim compensation if it was caused by the negligence of another party.

What are the complications of Legionnaires' disease?

The initial symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are easily confused with flu, but the disease can lead to severe complications. Those affected can develop symptoms of pneumonia, such as:

  • A persistent cough, starting dry and potentially becoming phlegmy or bloody
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pains.

Severe infection can also cause organ failure or septic shock. These complications are fatal for an estimated 10% of otherwise healthy people who contract Legionnaires' disease.

Certain factors can increase the severity of these symptoms and the risk of complications. You should be particularly wary of Legionnaires' disease if you’re:

  • Over 50 years old
  • A smoker and former smoker
  • Are drinking alcohol heavily
  • Have an underlying medical condition such as diabetes, kidney disease, or lung conditions
  • Have a weakened immune system, e.g. due to HIV or ongoing cancer treatment.

Most of the deaths associated with Legionnaires' disease occur in those 70 years of age or older. The NHS advises that those who are particularly at risk avoid water systems that could be contaminated such as spas.

If you've lost a loved one due to Legionnaires' disease, we can help you access support services as well pursue a claim on their behalf. See our Coping with Bereavement page for more information.

Legionnaires’ disease can sometimes lead to serious health challenges that require intensive care. This can lead to its own series of complications, including:

  • Critical care needs: In severe cases of Legionnaire’s Disease, patients may need to be placed in an induced coma to help their recovery.
  • Emotional and mental health: Prolonged stays in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can be difficult, sometimes leading to feelings of confusion or distress, and sleep disturbances.
  • Nerve health: Some patients might experience nerve-related issues following a critical illness.
  • Recovery journey: After leaving the ICU, some individuals may face ongoing recovery, which may be due to a condition known as Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). Symptoms can include physical weakness, fatigue and cognitive impairments, like forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating.

Holidays Legionnaires' Claims

Even if your illness occurred abroad, you can often make a claim here in the UK, though this will vary depending on your circumstances.

Tour operators should ensure that hotels they use during your holiday are meeting health and safety standards, and should warn you of the risks. Most of the international personal injury claims we handle are made in England & Wales. But in some cases it may be beneficial to make your claim abroad. We can advise you on this in a free initial consultation about making a claim.

For example, if you suffered an accident or illness while staying in a hotel as part of a package holiday, you should be able to make a claim against the tour operator here in the UK. You can also usually claim in the UK if you’re claiming against an individual insurer or employer that is based in the UK, or a business or insurer based in the EU.

The law around compensation is different in each country, so we will consider where it would be best to make your claim in order to get the best possible result for you. If you do have to make a claim abroad, there’s nothing to worry about as we have years of experience in helping clients to claim in more than 80 countries around the world. We work with an international network of law firms to represent and support our clients and their families when they need to claim, no matter which country the accident or illness occurred in. Most claims are settled out of court, so it’s unlikely that you will need to travel abroad for a court case. If this is necessary in your case, we will support you every step of the way.

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