An E. coli outbreak at the San Diego County Fair in June sickened at least ten children, one of whom has died. E. coli lawyers question what safety measures were in place at the fair on the days when the lives of these families were changed forever.
The children who were sickened range in age from 2 to 13. They contracted E. coli infections after attending the fair the week of June 8 – June 15 and visiting the petting zoo and other animal contact areas. The youngest of them, a 2-year-old boy named Jedidiah Cabezuela, developed a fatal complication from his infection, according to the county health department.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening form of kidney failure, is a complication that affects between 5 to 10 percent of people with E. coli infections. Most often, it affects children, especially those under five.
Petting zoos have been linked to many previous E. coli outbreaks. Because the risk of illness is high, it’s important that safety measures, such as providing handwashing stations with running water, are followed. The E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Hageman have recovered multiple multi-million settlements for children sickened by E. coli-HUS after visiting petting zoos, including a recent settlement for $7.55 million. If your child was sickened, contact us for a free consultation by calling 1(888) 377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below.
UPDATE: This post was updated July 3.