An E. coli O103 outbreak linked to ground beef sickened 209 people in 10 states before ending yesterday. Twenty-nine people were hospitalized, two of whom developed a life-threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Genetic tests on stool samples cultured from patients identified a “fingerprint” of the outbreak strain of E. coli O103. The people sickened in the outbreak reported eating ground beef at home or in restaurants before they became ill. Tests on ground beef collected from one of those restaurants were positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O103. Two companies that supplied ground beef to that restaurant and others issued recalls.
Ground Beef E. coli Lawsuit
Pritzker Hageman E. coli lawyers filed the first lawsuit in connection with this outbreak. Our client, Melissa Carmicle, developed an E. coli infection after eating ground beef. She was hospitalized in early March and moved to intensive care when her kidneys began to fail. After her release from the hospital, she suffered seizures and was airlifted back to the hospital where she endured a lengthy stay in the ICU. The lawsuit names as the defendant K2D Inc., DBA Colorado Premium Foods. K2D is one of the companies that issued a ground beef recall.
Ground Beef Recalls
Two recalls were issued in connection with this outbreak. The first, by K2D Foods, doing business as Colorado Premium Foods, in Carrollton, Ga., was issued on April 23, 2019, for roughly 113,424 pounds of ground beef. The second, was issued April 24, 2019, by Grant Park Packing of Franklin Park, IL for approximately 53,200 pounds of raw ground beef.
Ground Beef E. coli O103 Outbreak
The 209 illnesses in this outbreak were reported between March 1, 2019, and May 1, 2019. The totals from teh 10 states reporting illnesses were as follows: Florida (5), Georgia (51), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Kentucky (76), Minnesota (1), Mississippi (1), Ohio (12), Tennessee (59), and Virginia (2). Those sickened ranged in age from less than 1 year to 84 years old with a median age of 18.
Contact our experienced team of E. coli lawyers for a free consultation if you have been sickened by contaminated ground beef. Our lawyers hold food companies, restaurant owners, and others who sell unsafe food accountable. Call us toll-free at 1(888) 377-8900, send a text to 612-261-0856 or use the form below.