Bird possibly killed father, put daughter in coma
A pet bird is being blamed for one man’s death, and for putting his daughter in serious medical danger. But not from an attack — instead, the family claims the bird was diseased and the illness spread to the humans in the house.
Joe De La Garza, 63, died of psittacosis, also known as parrot disease and parrot fever, KRIS 6 News reported. It is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium chlamydophila psittaci and can be passed from numerous bird species to humans.
De La Garza’s family told KRIS 6 News that De La Garza’s daughter Amanda bought the cockatiel from PetSmart on Sept. 30, 2006. Less than a month later in October, De La Garza died. Amanda was sickened and fell into a coma. She spent weeks in the hospital and has since recovered.
The family filed the suit in Nueces County District Court to get PetSmart to stop selling birds that may “kill their customers.”
We would add that PetSmart should not sell *any* pets that kill their customers…
Information from: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,3683...
