A Brooklyn Park woman is suing a pain clinic in the Twin Cities area for being negligent in its use of steroids that were contaminated with the fungus that was responsible for the 2012 meningitis outbreak.

Traci Maccoux, 23, filed a lawsuit in mid-March against medical Pain Specialists, stating that she had received steroid injections at the clinic in the summer of 2012.

Maccoux is one of over 700 individuals who contracted meningitis because of the contaminated steroid injections originating from a Framingham, Massachusetts compounding facility.

This is the first lawsuit filed against Medical Advanced Pain Specialists, but is one of two clinics in Minnesota that purchased the contaminated steroids from the manufacturer, which has now had to file for bankruptcy.

Clinic officials have not commented on the lawsuit, but they made a brief statement on Monday stating they had attempted to address the questions and concerns of all individuals who receive care at their facility.

Maccoux is one of 12 confirmed meningitis cases in the state and was hospitalized in October for 10 days. The fungal meningitis infection she contracted was potentially deadly, as it involved infection of the spinal cord and brain. She had received her steroid shots in July and August.

In her lawsuit, she states that the pain clinic violated state law and breached its duty to its patients when it purchased the steroids from the compounding facility, which was not licensed to manufacture or sell the steroid in bulk. A federal investigation found that the New England Compounding Center was selling the steroid in bulk. They had sold approximately 17,000 vials in over 20 states.

Maccoux said in an interview that she was upset that the clinic had bought steroids from such a facility and had hoped that they would know better. She said she assumed that the clinic would ensure everything was safe.

Maccoux said that she found out in October that she was one of almost 1,000 people in Minnesota who had received the steroid injection from the contaminated vials. A few days later, it was confirmed that she had contracted fungal meningitis.

In her lawsuit, it is stated that she had extreme pain, hallucinations, blurry vision, flu-like symptoms, and dizziness. She is still taking the antifungal drug that saved her, but it has very uncomfortable side effects. She said she had to stop attending her college classes because she has been unable to drive or even work. So far her hospital bills are exceeding $110,000, according to her attorney.

If you have suffered serious side effects after coming into contact with a contaminated product, you may be eligible for compensation. For help learning more about the legal options that may be available to you, contact the Bloomington personal injury lawyers at TSR Injury Law today.

Free Consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.