A fallen South King Fire and Rescue (WA) firefighter will be recognized by Washington state as a line-of-duty death (LODD), years after he contracted HIV on the job.
When J. Douglas Waller retired, he didn’t know that an earlier incident on the job would kill him several years later. According to a report on komonews.com (http://bit.ly/zlpc4y), Waller provided medical assistance to a bleeding man who later told firefighters that he was HIV-positive.
After the exposure, Waller was tested negative for the infection. He reportedly retired in 2000, but tested positive for HIV six years later. Two months after this, he died.
The road to getting Waller’s death recognized as an LODD has taken some time, but he will get this recognition in April.
Read more about the case at http://bit.ly/zlpc4y.
