Top Michigan health official charged with manslaughter in Flint water crisis

[K1052]

While much of the attention in Flint has focused on the lead-tainted water that exposed thousands of young children to potential long-term health risks, the crisis also has been linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that contributed to at least a dozen deaths. Those cases ultimately led to the charges Wednesday for Lyon, as well as for the state’s chief medical executive, Eden Wells, who faces charges of obstruction of justice and lying to a police officer.

Lyon was aware of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak by early 2015 but “did not notify the public until a year later,” according to charging documents filed in court and reviewed by the Detroit Free Press. According to the documents, he “willfully disregarded the deadly nature of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak,” later saying “[we] can’t save everyone,” and “everyone has to die of something.”

The attorney general’s office alleges that Lyon was personally briefed on the situation in Genesse County, where figures showed the number of Legionnaire’s cases was more than three times the annual average. Lyon allegedly also refused an early offer of help from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and hindered scientists from researching whether the spike in Legionnaires’ cases was linked to the city’s switch to water from the Flint River.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ater-crisis/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.838b3dcc5c59

Never ceases to amaze how callous people can be when the threat is abstract and won't effect you personally.

 

[dank69]

Good. Sentence him to a life of drinking that water.

 

[Azuma Hazuki]

What @dank69 said. After all, if it's good enough for the goose, it's good enough for the gander, nu?

 

[woolfe9998]

It's unusual if not unheard for health officials to be charged with manslaughter over a public health crisis. However, it sounds like they have a case here, at least against the main guy Lyon. This really caught my eye:

Lyon allegedly also refused an early offer of help from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and hindered scientists from researching whether the spike in Legionnaires’ cases was linked to the city’s switch to water from the Flint River.

 

[interchange]

Sounds like he tried to quash this, so criminal charges seem appropriate.

 

[Dulanic]

Reckless endangerment of others is despicable. A person has every right to endanger their own life. However, they don't have a right to endanger others . Deserves to go to prison, wish he could be forced to drink the water for years too.