E. Coli in Ground Beef Sends More than 20 People to Hospital

 Posted on May 09, 2019 in E. Coli

Two ground beef distributors were recently forced to recall their products after an E. coli outbreak that sickened 177 people in 10 states. Though no one is reported to have died, 21 people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started in March. One of the distributors is based in the Chicago area and at least one of the victims is from Illinois. Victims have reportedly eaten the contaminated beef both at home and in restaurants. A Kentucky woman has already filed a lawsuit against one of the packing companies, claiming that the contaminated ground beef caused her to suffer kidney failure and seizures.

Dangers of E. Coli

The ground beef products contained a strain of E. coli O103. Ground beef has a higher-than-average risk of E. coli contamination because bacteria from the cattle’s intestines can infect the meat and ground beef can contain multiple cattle, which increases the risk that one of them had E. coli. Symptoms from consuming E. coli can take three-to-four days to develop and may include:

• Stomach cramps;
• Diarrhea, often bloody; and
• Vomiting.

The symptoms can last seven days. In some cases, a patient may develop a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be life-threatening.

Liability

You can protect yourself against possible E. coli when handling and consuming ground beef by:

• Cleaning your hands and surfaces that have come in contact with raw ground beef;
• Not eating raw or undercooked ground beef;
• Keeping ground beef in the refrigerator when you are thawing it or plan to use it soon; and
• Freezing the ground beef if you are not going to use it within two days.

Other parties can be liable if you consume a ground beef product that is contaminated with E. coli. The company that made or packaged the ground beef is often the one responsible, but a restaurant could also be liable if it was negligent in preparing the meat or used a ground beef product that it knew had been recalled.

Contact an Arlington Heights Food Poisoning Attorney

It is important to act quickly if you believe that another party was at fault for your food poisoning, such as E. coli contamination. Once you file a lawsuit, you can request health records from the company in question. When involved in a highly publicized food poisoning case, you may be racing against other victims to get available insurance money from the liable party. A Chicago food poisoning lawyer at Newland & Newland, LLP, can help you receive compensation for the pain and expense that your illness caused. To schedule a consultation, call 312-981-0409.

Source:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/well/e-coli-outbreak-illinois-centers-disease-control-prevention/