Fred Pritzker and his team recently won $7.55 million for an E. coli victim. Our lawyers can help you.
Colectomy Surgery Caused by E. coli Food Poisoning
When a person gets E. coli food poisoning, the bacteria (usually E. coli O157:H7) attack the large intestine, also known as the colon. What happens is the E. coli bacteria produce Shiga toxins that can do a lot of damage to cells in the colon, leading to a condition called colitis. Colitis is an inflammation of the colon that at times can become incredibly severe, sometimes so severe that it requires removing all of part of the colon. This surgery is known as a colectomy.
Colectomy is an extremely serious surgery. The patient may need to use a colostomy bag for the rest of the his or her life. In some cases, a colostomy bag is only needed temporarily while the colon is “rebuilt” using part of the small intestine. This surgery takes some of the small intestine and doubles it back on itself to create a colon substitute. While this substitute does not work as well as a normal, healthy colon, it allows the waste to pass out of the body without the use of a colostomy bag.
Get Compensation with a Colectomy Lawsuit
Our attorneys have represented people with severe colitis from an E. coli infection. They understand this condition and know medical experts they can use to help them win your case and maximize your recovery.
One of our clients was a lovely older woman who was sickened in a national E. coli outbreak linked to a chain restaurant. Her case of food poisoning quickly caused severe colitis, which resulted in necrosis (death) of a significant amount of tissue in her colon (part of her colon had “died”). She underwent a colectomy and will have to use a colostomy bag for the rest of her life.
It was heartbreaking to see how eating a little contaminated food changed her life, and it was heartwarming to experience this woman’s uplifting attitude about it. She decided not to let it ruin her life, or even bring her down a little. No matter how she felt, when someone from our office visited her, she was ready with coffee and a homemade treat. It was our pleasure to represent this wonderful woman and get her the compensation she deserved.