The family of a University of Maryland freshman who died in 2018 of adenovirus have filed a $100.4million wrongful death lawsuit against the school and two former officials, accusing them of concealing the respiratory infection outbreak for more than two weeks.
Olivia Paregol, 18, was immunocompromised, having been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and developed pneumonia on November 9, 2018, as a complication of a severe strain of adenovirus - a common illness from which most people recover on their own, but which could be deadly to vulnerable patients.
Less than a week later, Olivia died in an intensive care unit of a Maryland hospital after suffering 'unimaginable pain,' according to a new court filing.
The family of University of Maryland freshman Olivia Paregol (left) is suing the school and two former officials for $100.4million, nearly three years after she died from adenovirus
The University of Maryland (pictured) is being sued for wrongful death and negligence
The 23-page civil complaint, which was filed by Olivia's parents, Ian and Margaret Paregol, on Wednesday in Prince George's County, Maryland, alleges the university had failed to inform students that the adenovirus was present on campus until after Paregol's death.
'Our family will never recover from the grief of losing our beloved, sweet Olivia,' Ian Paregol said in a statement. 'While this lawsuit seeks to bring a modicum of justice to Olivia, it is intended also to serve as a wake-up call for students and families of UMD and of other colleges and universities that have failed in their basic responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of students and staff.'
Adenovirus comes in more than 100 different strains.
Like most viruses, some types can infect humans, while others cannot, some will cause nothing more than a common cold, while others can be pernicious
The worst strains of a respiratory adenovirus infection can masquerade as the flu and its symptoms - sore throat runny nose, fatigue, fever, chest congestion and cough - may be every bit as miserable.
But even then, the illness is rarely life-threatening. It typically only endangers very young children and the elderly.
A compromised immune system, however, can change everything.
The Paregol family's lawsuit also accuses the University of Maryland, former University President Wallace Loh and former Health Center Director David McBride of failing to address a persistent mold problem at Elkton Hall, the dormitory where Olivia lived, and even covering it up by instructing maintenance workers to simply paint over the mold, or 'wipe it off.'
According to the complaint, the mold contamination in Olivia's room may have contributed to her untimely death from the adenovirus by making her cough and weakening her body.
The University Health
