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Contracted Life Altering Disease From Internship. Do I Have Recourse Against The School?

Location: TN, USA

I took an internship under a professor at my university from May-July 2023. It was a little informal, but I was paid hourly and received a w-2 from the university. during the internship i was tasked with a cleaning job which exposed me to bird and rodent waste because materials were stored in a way that provided shelter and were near a giant tub of agricultural seed. I was given basic goggles, an n-95 mask, and work gloves to dispose of these materials in an onsite dumpster. I fell ill with flu-like symptoms on Christmas 2023 and never made a complete recovery. 9 days in the hospital later, i am diagnosed with a fungal infection called histoplasmosis that has torn up my lungs and blew out my kidneys (less than 5% function, end stage renal disease).

I know my exposure to the waste during the internship is what inoculated me with enough spores to cause infection. Histoplasmosis also can lie dormant for months before expressing itself. I was not warned of such extreme risks to my health before starting the task, and the ppe provided to me was insufficient to adequately protect me from such a hazard. Do I have any chance of making a case against the school? i have had to go on disability and put my entire life on hold due to physical limitations from what I have been through.

What documents, if any, would I need if there is something that can be done?

submitted by /u/throwtsinthetrash
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Contracted Life Altering Disease From Internship. Do I Have Recourse Against The School?

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