Crater Lake Tourists' Illness Claims Paid
The Times
San Mateo, California
October 9, 1975
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The federal government has authorized payment of nearly
$30,000 so far to tourists plagued by gastrointestinal illness at Crater Lake
National Park last summer.
Regional Solicitor Joseph B. Brooks said Wednesday between 450 and 600 claims
of an estimated 1,000 have been processed.
Vouchers totaling $29,289.04 have been sent to claimants for signature.
Brooks then forwards them to the National Park Service office in Seattle, and
the Treasury Department mails out checks.
The highest single claim was for $1,690 to a person who required
hospitalization after drinking contaminated water at Crater Lake National Park
in June or July.
The park was closed in July after health officials found a broken sewage line
had contaminated the park's water supply. By then, hundreds of visitors had
already fallen ill.
Meanwhile; a class action suit against the company that operates concessions
at Crater Lake Lodge moved a step closer to trial in Multnomah County Circuit
Court.
Dudge Clifford Olsen overruled a defense demurrer that argued the state court
had no jurisdiction in a case involving federal land. He referred the case to
Judge Robert Jones,
The next step is a hearing before Jones, who will decide whether to certify
the case as a class action. Portland attorney Don Willner filed the complaint a
month ago for 13 plaintiffs, who seek damages.
