FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan official blamed in the death of a Flint-area man who had Legionnaires’ disease faces a key hearing to determine whether he will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter.
Nick Lyon is head of the Department of Health and Human Services. He’s accused of failing to alert the public in a timely manner about a Legionnaires’ outbreak in the Flint area in 2014-15.
Some experts have blamed the outbreak on Flint’s failure to treat its water to reduce corrosion.
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A judge must decide whether there’s enough evidence to send Lyon to trial in the death of an 85-year-old man. The hearing starting Thursday could last weeks.
Robert Skidmore was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ six months before his death from congestive heart failure. Lyon’s attorney notes Skidmore’s home didn’t use Flint water.