Associated Press
PUYALLUP — A man who says he contracted hepatitis C after visiting a Tacoma-area emergency room is suing the hospital.
The lawsuit in Pierce County Superior Court alleges he became infected with the disease while being treated for kidney stones at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup in December.
The lawsuit was filed Friday, a day after police arrested a 31-year-old nurse suspected of stealing narcotics and exposing patients to hepatitis C. It alleges MultiCare failed to monitor the nurse.
At least two patients were infected with the disease, and authorities say they believe the nurse was using a portion of patients’ narcotics for her own use, and then injecting those patients with the same needle. The hospital is now testing 2,600 former patients.
A lawyer for the nurse told KOMO News that police claims are false.
The hospital says it has not seen the man’s lawsuit.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that infects the liver and can be fatal.
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