A possible foodborne illness outbreak at Chipotle Mexican Grill in California has been reported by the Los Angeles City Health Department. The city has activated its Acute Communicable Disease Control unit. The facility is located at 4550 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles.
There are few details about the outbreak. It was first discovered when people started reporting they were feeling ill after eating there around the middle of December, 2017 on the website I Was Poisoned. Shares of Chipotle stock fell by more than 3% after the news came out.
There is no word on how many people have been sickened, what their symptoms were, or if anyone has seen a doctor or been hospitalized. We don’t know the possible pathogen; it could be anything. More information about this possible outbreak will be released in the next few days.
Chipotle has been linked to many food poisoning outbreaks in the past. This summer, a norovirus outbreak sickened some customers at the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 21031 Tripleseven Road in Sterling, Virginia.
Two E. coli O26 outbreaks at Chipotle restaurants in 2015 sickened at least 60 people in 14 states. In that outbreak, 22 people were hospitalized. Two different, rare STEC bacteria were linked to the illnesses in those outbreaks. The law firm of Pritzker Hageman was the first to file a lawsuit against Chipotle in that outbreak; their client ate at a restaurant in Vancouver, Washington.
A norovirus outbreak at a Chipotle restaurant at Cleveland Circle in Boston, also in 2015, sickened at least 120 students. All of those patients recovered.
And a Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to tomatoes served at Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota, also in 2015, sickened at least 66 people. Nine people were hospitalized because their illnesses were so serious. The company changed suppliers for its tomatoes after that outbreak.
If you ate at the Chipotle restaurant in Los Angeles in question and have been experiencing the symptoms of food poisoning, which usually include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, see your doctor. Your case could be the one that tells investigators what they need to know to solve this possible outbreak.
The experienced law firm Pritzker Hageman represents and helps people who have been sickened by contaminated food, whether it was purchased at a grocery store or served at a restaurant. We get answers, compensation for those who have been injured, and justice. Our lawyers represent clients sickened with bacterial infections in lawsuits against retailers, grocery stores, food processors, restaurants, schools, and others. Attorney Fred Pritzker and his team recently won $7.5 million for young client whose kidneys failed because he developed hemolytic uremic syndrome after an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Please note that class action lawsuits are usually not appropriate for outbreak victims because these types of cases are very unique.
