Tenn. Aquarium Sued for $2.4M After Boy Gets Sick

The parents of a child who developed a bacterial infection after petting stingrays and sharks at Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $2.4 million.

Spokesman Thom Benson told the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Friday that aquarium officials do not believe the aquarium was responsible for the boy’s condition.

He said five water tests after the boy’s November visit showed no trace of the bacteria.

According to the lawsuit, the boy had to undergo multiple surgeries over several weeks after he contracted fish-handler’s disease. The suit was filed filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga .

Benson said in a news release that fish-handler’s bacteria can be found many places other than fish. Those include soil, cats and dogs.

Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, h