DELTONA, Fla. — WFTV found new proof of how dangerous local foreclosed homes could become if allowed to deteriorate. Patrick Hegarty told WFTV he nearly died from the West Nile Virus last month and he thinks he caught it in Deltona from mosquitoes in an abandoned pool next door.
HOME VIDEO: Man Records Video Of Dirty Pool
The city of Deltona put up an orange fence to try to keep people away from the abandoned pool, but there is no way to keep what's in the pool away from people. Hegarty uploaded photos to the iWitness section of WFTV.com showing the dirty pool (watch video) .
Hospital bills are stacking up and viral and seizure medications are still a daily necessity for Patrick Hegarty, who believes a mosquito from the pool next door nearly cost him everything.
"My kids, my life, my soon-to-be wife," he said.
Hegarty said a doctor diagnosed him with West Nile Encephalitis this month, after dizziness and pain took a quick turn for the worse.
"He was in a coma for four days. They did every test they could think of, EEG, MRI, MRA, CAT Scans, and they had idea for the longest time," said Austie Robinson, Hegarty's girlfriend.
The pool has been a concern for Hegarty since the home was abandoned two years ago. He's called Deltona continuously to clean it up.
"Over a dozen times, [and] all they told me is it's bank-owned and it's up to the bank," he said.
Bayview Financial did mow the grass in May, a Deltona spokesman said, but the city said it can't compel the bank to clean the stagnant water. Bayview Financial didn't return WFTV's calls about the situation.
West Nile has been reported in animals near Tampa and in the Panhandle this year. The Volusia County Health Department wasn't aware of Hegarty's case or any infected mosquitoes in Central Florida.
"They carry it from an intermediate host from like a bird, which is usually where we find the virus," said Paul Minshew, Volusia Co. Health Department.
Rather than keep fighting the bank or city to clean the pool up, Hegarty plans to move out of his rental home when his lease is up next month.
WFTV
