Coronavirus victim’s son Dragan Markovic sues hotel security companies

A son who lost his father to coronavirus is taking security firms involved in Victoria’s botched hotel quarantine program to court.

Dragan Markovic, who is leading the class action against hotel quarantine, after his father Nenad died of Covid-19.

A Melbourne man who lost his father to coronavirus has launched a class action against security firms involved in the state’s bungled quarantine program.

Nenad Markovic was 83 when he died as a result of the virus on August 30.

His son St Albans man Dragan is the lead plaintiff in a class action against United Security Group and MSS Security who supplied security guards to the Rydges Hotel and Stamford Plaza Hotel in the city.

Dragan Markovic, who is leading the class action against hotel quarantine, after his father Nenad died of COVID-19. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“I’m doing this for my dad, he didn’t deserve to die this way,” Mr Markovic told NCA NewsWire.

“He was just like an animal left to die.”

The death of his father left him with “psychiatric injury”, loss and damage, court documents allege.

The elderly man had tested negative for the virus repeatedly before he was tested shortly before his death and found to be infected.

“I was shocked, you know,” he said when he discovered his father had the illness.

The 83-year-old died ten days after he was moved from his aged care home to Brunswick Private Hospital.

Court documents allege the second wave of coronavirus in the state happened as a result of guards failing to take appropriate measures to prevent the transmission of the illness.

Dragan Markovic, who is leading the class action against hotel quarantine, after his father Nenad died of COVID-19. Dragan (L) pictured with is father Nenad

This includes failing to ensure guards were appropriately trained and supervised, failing to supply personal protective equipment and failing to put in place infection control measures.

Arnold Thomas and Becker principal lawyer Kim Price said they were expecting thousands of people to join the suit against the security firms.

At the moment there were more than a dozen people who had joined the claim and as a result of the shocking death toll more were likely, he said.

United Security Group said in a statement it plans to “vigorously defend” the matter but was not able to comment further.

Meanwhile MSS Security said it has not been served with papers and was not in a position to comment.

It comes as lawsuits were earlier filed against St Basil’s Homes for the Aged and Epping Gardens Aged Care over coronavirus deaths at those facilities.