Family alleges sewage leak in military housing sickened 4-year-old

A army household in South Carolina is suing Fort Jackson’s privatized housing supplier after they are saying sewage contaminated their residence, allegedly inflicting a life-altering bacterial an infection of their 4-year-old son.

Travis Wilson, a chaplain within the Military, and his spouse, Jaclyn Wilson, filed a criticism Nov. 18 in opposition to Fort Jackson Housing LLC and Balfour Beatty Army Housing Administration LLC within the U.S. District Court docket of South Carolina for “negligent upkeep of repairs of army housing,” together with “sewage overflow and unsafe air pollution,” in line with the criticism.

The couple and their six youngsters moved into Fort Jackson housing in South Carolina on Dec. 22, 2022. At move-in, the couple claims they got a 7-year upkeep historical past that didn’t precisely symbolize the home’s situations, particularly that the report failed to say earlier tenants’ complaints about sewage backflow, in line with the criticism.

Shortly after the household moved in, sewage within the upstairs toilet overflowed, in line with the criticism.

Jaclyn Wilson mentioned she reported the issue to upkeep, however after staff arrived, the criticism alleges, they closed the toilet door and advised her that they might return shortly, by no means materializing.

The sewage started leaking by way of the ceiling and into the kitchen beneath, with a putrid scent wafting by way of the house, the criticism states.

When the employees returned at a later unspecified date, they advised the household the backflow downside had been mounted, in line with the criticism.

Nonetheless, a number of months later, in March 2023, the criticism states, there was a relapse in sewage leakage, with overflow once more dripping by way of the ceiling into the kitchen beneath.

The upkeep staff returned, this time eradicating the bathroom solely to go away it within the tub for a number of weeks, the criticism states. Throughout this time, the couple claims staff left a sewer pipe uncovered.

Ultimately, the household relocated to a resort. The household returned at a later date to seek out the bathroom nonetheless within the tub and the sewer pipe nonetheless uncovered.

On the time of the alleged sewage leaks, the couple’s 4-year-old son typically performed on the home’s flooring. In March, across the time of the second leak, the couple seen he had develop into torpid, in line with the criticism. When his face started drooping, the couple turned alarmed and took him to the emergency room, the place they have been knowledgeable that he was preventing a bacterial an infection affecting his mind.

Docs have been so nervous in regards to the little one’s well being that they transferred him to a hospital practically 400 miles away in Birmingham, Alabama, in line with the criticism.

“There’s something exhibiting within the scan, and it is advisable to go away for Birmingham now,” medical doctors knowledgeable the Wilson household, in line with the criticism.

After eight neurologists evaluated the kid, they decided the boy was experiencing acute disseminated encephalitis, a uncommon inflammatory illness that assaults the mind and spinal twine. The medical doctors additionally knowledgeable the household that the illness is usually brought on by a bacterial an infection, the criticism states.

Frequent signs embody fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and generally seizures. The illness can even have an effect on motor expertise and negatively have an effect on speech and imaginative and prescient.

The couple claims of their criticism that the bacterial an infection was brought on by the sewage overflow from their army housing.

They’re searching for financial damages in an quantity to be confirmed at trial, in addition to punitive damages, in line with the criticism. The couple can be suing the housing organizations for the emotional misery they skilled on account of their little one’s illness.

On the time of the criticism’s submitting, the kid remains to be coping with signs of the illness.

Balfour Beatty Communities, one of many largest privatized army housing firms in the US, manages Fort Jackson Housing.

“The well being and well-being of our residents is our prime precedence,” a spokesperson for Balfour Beatty Communities mentioned in an emailed assertion. “As this matter is the topic of litigation, we won’t remark past saying that we predict the claims are completely with out benefit and we are going to defend ourselves vigorously.”

Fort Jackson Housing declined to remark.

The Wilson household’s criticism isn’t the primary time Balfour Beatty Communities has come beneath fireplace for subpar army housing situations. In December 2021, the housing contractor was ordered to pay over $65 million in fines and restitution for defrauding the U.S. army.

“As an alternative of promptly repairing housing for U.S. service members as required, BBC lied in regards to the repairs to pocket thousands and thousands of {dollars} in efficiency bonuses,” mentioned Deputy Legal professional Common Lisa O. Monaco in a Justice Division launch on the time.