The law firm of Pritzker Hageman has filed a second E. coli O157:H7 lawsuit in the state of Ohio on behalf of a teenage girl who was sickened with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection after allegedly eating food purchased at the Chipotle at 1140 Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio. The suit was filed on Friday, November 6, 2020. The first lawsuit, also against the same restaurant location, was filed on October 31, 2020.
Their client allegedly ate a salad bowl or burrito bowl purchased from that restaurant on September 22, 2020, and another on September 24, 2020. The bowl contained romaine lettuce, tomato salsa, guacamole, and other items. Several days later the teenager got sick with bloody diarrhea, and sought medical treatment. A diagnosis of STEC infection was confirmed. Their client was hospitalized for five days.
The firm is investigating whether this illness is associated with one of two E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks the CDC announced last week, or with the new third E. coli O157:H7 outbreak announced on November 10, 2020. There are ill patients in Ohio in each of these outbreaks.
One of the outbreaks may be associated with restaurants, and two of the others may be associated with romaine lettuce or another leafy green. Government officials have not yet named a definitive food or facility linked to these illnesses.
All three strains of E. coli O157:H7 that have sickened people in both outbreaks are different genetically. Two are closely related genetically to the pathogens that sickened hundreds of people in the 2018 and 2019 romaine lettuce outbreaks.
You can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Noted food safety attorney Fred Pritzker, who has filed many E. coli lawsuits on behalf of clients over the years, said, “The illness our client suffered is exactly why there is zero tolerance for E. coli O157:H7 contamination in food in this country. No one should get sick just because they bought food for lunch or dinner.”
There is zero tolerance in food for the pathogens E. coli O157:H7 as well as the Big Six strains, which include the serogroups E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. These pathogens cause severe illness and even death.
Symptoms of and E. coli O157:H7 infection include a mild fever, vomiting, painful and severe abdominal cramps, and bloody and watery diarrhea. Patients usually start getting sick a few days after infection.
If you have been experiencing these symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of one of these three E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with an E. coli O157:H7 infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
