Lawsuit Places Blame For 2 Coronavirus Cases On Washington County Home Health Care Company
BETHEL PARK, Pa. (KDKA) - John Boyle and Cheryl McKinney have quarantined for over a year in their Bethel Park home.
"Because of his age and he'd just had open-heart surgery, they were staying in place at home. So it wasn't a situation where they were going to Giant Eagle or something," said attorney John Corcoran Jr.
Corcoran Jr. is representing the couple. He said after that surgery in November, Boyle needed physical therapy.
"If you remember, this was the height of the new resurgence of the pandemic. It was a lot worse," Corcoran Jr. said.
To avoid going anywhere and limit contact, the couple got a home therapist from Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Associates in North Charleroi.
"She was wearing a mask, but it wasn't properly placed on her face, and it wasn't an N95 mask. She came in, shook his hand, not gloved. And the next day, she called my clients and told them she had COVID-19," Corcoran Jr. said.
Days later, that couple also contracted COVID-19. The lawsuit claims the therapist was the only person to encounter the couple.
"Medical professionals who are going in to treat someone who has a heart condition really need to make sure they have proper PPE and they clearly didn't have enough protective gear. That's the issue," Corcoran Jr. said.
Now they are suing the therapist and the company.
"I think there is a hard end. It's not just file a lawsuit. But going forward, this will put the sign out there, as they do future work, that they are doing it appropriately," Corcoran Jr. said.
