An E. coli outbreak has sickened 19 people in Philadelphia who ate at a restaurant or restaurants that have not yet been named. The illnesses were reported between August 30, 2019, and September 6. 2019 from people ranging in age from 7 to 90 years old.
State and local health officials are aware that exposures occurred at one or more restaurants but have not released the names. The public disclosure of establishments linked to outbreaks is not a prerequisite for legal action. If you are part of this outbreak and can show an association between your illness and the food you ate at a restaurant, you may be able to file a lawsuit.
Health officials have interviewed those sickened and collected food histories to try and determine which food is the source of the outbreak. E. coli, a bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, causes illness when food contaminated with microscopic amounts of fecal matter is ingested. Any food can become contaminated with E. coli. Recent outbreaks have been linked to romaine lettuce and ground beef.
Some types of E. coli, including the strain associated with this outbreak, produce a kind of poison called a Shiga toxin which causes a more severe illness than other E. coli strains. Young children and teenagers with E. coli infections are at heightened risk of developing a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening form of kidney failure.
The E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Hageman recently secured a $7.5 million settlement for one client sickened by E. col. If you are part of this outbreak, we want to represent you, too. For a free consultation, call us at 1-888-377-8900, text us at 612-261-0856 or, fill out the form below.