The Flu
"The Flu Hits New York City"
One of the first people to succumb to the flu, is now threatening to sue New York City. The wife and three sons of Vice Principal Mitchell Wiener intend to file a lawsuit against the city for negligence and wrongful death. They made the claim on August 5, claiming that the city did not act quickly enough to the swine flu outbreak in P.S. 238 in Queens, NY.
The family made a claim to the city saying that they failed to warn Mr. Wiener that people he had been in contact with were tested positive for the flu. The claim also says that the city did not disseminate adequate information about the health condition of the school and in turn increased the risk of Mr. Wiener as well as the students of P.S. 238.
The family is looking for $4o million in compensation for their loss. Vice Principal Wiener died of the flu on May 17, three days shy of when Mayor Bloomberg announced the first major case of the Swine flu.
As of July 7, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced there have been 47 deaths and 909 hospitalizations in New York City due to cases of the new strain of the flu. Officials estimated that close to half a million New Yorkers have been in contact or have themselves contracted the flu.
Mrs Wiener is seeking compensation for medical bills as well as pain and suffering for the wrongful death of her husband and father to their children.
