To date, 68 people have been sickened by an outbreak of E. coli O157 in Germantown, Ohio, a small community near Dayton, OH. Fourteen of the people sickened have been hospitalized, three with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of an E. coli O157 infection that causes kidney failure and other life-threatening health problems. Our E. coli-HUS clients are often hospitalized for weeks or months.
Lawyer Fred Pritzker has represented many, many E. coli and HUS victims:
Although HUS patients have the highest risk of future health problems, initial research has shown that all E. coli victims are at risk for future kidney impairment, neurological damage, diabetes, vascular problems and various forms of gastrointestinal disease.
Pritzker and his E. coli litigation team use medical research on this issue as part of their litigation strategy to ensure that E. coli food poisoning victims get the compensation they need into the future. “We’re letting food safety violators off the hook if we do not factor in the true, long-term costs of these outbreaks,’’ Pritzker said.
Pritzker is investigating the current E. coli and HUS outbreak in Ohio linked to a picnic at Neff’s Lawn Care in Germantown, OH on July 3. At least 68 people have been sickened, and 14 of those have been hospitalized. Three of the hospitalized E. coli victims developed HUS.
People with HUS suffer excruciating pain and almost always develop kidney failure and a host of other serious medical problems. If they survive, these children and their families have to deal with the reality that a kidney transplant may be needed years down the road.
The specific food item that caused this outbreak has not been determined. Much of the food at the picnic was brought in and meat products were grilled on site. The key is to find a link between at least one food product and a statistically significant number of E. coli victims.
“Even if the specific food product responsible for the outbreak is not conclusively determined, victims may have legal options,’’ stated Pritzker.
