Westchester, NY Legionnaires’ Outbreak: What to Know, What to Do, and How Pritzker Hageman Can Help

As of September 10, 2025, Westchester County health officials have confirmed 37 Legionnaires’ disease cases this season and two deaths — one resident from White Plains and one from New Rochelle. Officials said Westchester maintains 561 registered cooling towers, which are a common source when maintenance lapses.

Fast Facts (Updated Sept. 10, 2025)

• Cases: 37; Deaths: 2 (White Plains and New Rochelle residents).
• Why now? Health leaders point to the hot, humid summer that favors Legionella growth.
• The Broader Context: NYC’s recent Central Harlem outbreak has reached 114 cases and 7 deaths. And Marshalltown, Iowa is experiencing an ongoing outbreak that has sicked 21 and led to one death so far.

What to Do if You Live, Work, or Recently Spent Time in Westchester

1. Watch for symptoms for 2–14 days after potential exposure: cough, fever, headache, muscle aches, shortness of breath; GI symptoms may occur. Seek care promptly and mention the Westchester outbreak to your provider.
2. Ask about testing: Urinary antigen testing should be performed as soon as possible, followed by lower respiratory culture or molecular testing for accurate diagnosis and to aid in investigating possible sources of infection.
3. Write down where you were in the two weeks before symptoms: workplaces, apartments/condos, gyms, hotels, hospitals/clinics, pools/hot tubs, and any buildings with cooling towers.
4. Save receipts and records (hotel folios, memberships, ride-share logs, timestamped photos). These help trace exposure.
5. Call our Legionnaires’ legal team for a free, confidential consultation at 1-888-377-8900 or contact us online if you were sickened. We are not paid unless you win.

Likely Sources in Community Outbreaks

People get Legionnaires’ disease by breathing in mist or vapor containing Legionella — typically from cooling towers, hot tubs, decorative fountains, and large building plumbing when water isn’t properly maintained.

In New York, owners of cooling towers have specific legal duties under NYS Sanitary Code, Title 10, Part 4 (Protection Against Legionella): registration, routine testing, maintenance, corrective action, and recordkeeping. Failures can create liability when people are harmed.

How We Prove Westchester Legionnaires’ Cases (Our Litigation Blueprint)

Pritzker Hageman’s Legionnaires’ team follows a five-step approach that courts and juries understand:

1. Confirm pneumonia and symptoms consistent with Legionnaires’.
2. Confirm Legionella via approved lab tests.
3. Link your exposure to a plausible aerosol source (e.g., building cooling tower, spa, shower) during the incubation window.
4. Establish an outbreak (two or more cases) tied to the same source/timeframe.
5. Tie your case to a public health investigation (county/state) listing you as an outbreak case.

Where appropriate, we coordinate independent environmental testing, demand water-system maintenance records (disinfection logs, temperature/chlorine residuals, biocide schedules), and use genetic comparison of clinical and environmental isolates when available.

Why Choose Pritzker Hageman for a Westchester Legionnaires’ Lawsuit?

Few firms in the country match our depth in Legionnaires’ litigation. Our Proven Results include multiple seven-figure Legionnaires’ recoveries and 100+ separate million and multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements across our practice.

• $6.45 Million — for three clients sickened in a Legionnaires’ outbreak at a resort hotel.
• $6.00 Million — for six people harmed in a Legionnaires’ outbreak linked to a hotel hot tub.
• $3.75 Million — for a client hospitalized eight weeks after contracting Legionnaires’ at a hotel.
• $3.00 Million — wrongful death recovery for a woman who died from Legionnaires’ disease.

We routinely represent victims in New York and nationwide, including prior outbreaks tied to cooling towers.

FAQs for Westchester Residents

Is it safe to drink my tap water?
Legionella infections come from inhaling contaminated mist, not from drinking. Standard home AC units are not sources; cooling towers on large buildings often are. (Follow guidance from local health officials if any building-specific notices are issued.)

Who is most at risk?
Adults 50+, smokers, and people with chronic lung disease or weakened immunity face higher risk of severe illness, but people in lower risk groups do sometimes come down with Legionnaires” disease too.

What should my doctor order?
CDC guidance favors urinary antigen testing plus lower respiratory culture or molecular testing; discuss both with your clinician.

What laws apply to building owners?
New York’s Part 4 regulations require cooling tower owners to register, monitor, test, disinfect, and document. Breaches can support negligence claims when people are harmed.

Contact our Legionnaires’ team today and find out how you can get compensation and justice

1-888-377-8900 (Toll-Free) | attorneys@pritzerlaw.com

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