The following information on the Ohio and Michigan E. coli outbreak linked to Kroger ground beef is provided by Pritzker | Ruohonen, one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of E. coli litigation. Our lawyers have gained a national reputation and have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. In recognigion of their accomplishments, Pritzker | Ruohonen attorneys Fred Pritzker, Rich Ruohonen and Elliot Olsen have been named “Super Lawyers” by Law & Politics magazine. If you or your child has been diagnosed with E. coli, you may contact Pritzker | Ruohonen at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free), email our lawyers, or submit the firm’s online consultation form (top of right column) for review by a lawyer at the firm.
June 25, 2008 – State departments of health and agriculture in Michigan and Ohio, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. To date, 32 confirmed cases have been linked both epidemiologically and by molecular fingerprinting to this outbreak, 15 in Michigan and 17 in Ohio. Onset of illness in these patients occurred from 5/30/08 to 6/11/08. Fourteen ill persons have been hospitalized. One patient has developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths linked to the outbreak have been reported. Twenty (62%) of patients are female. Patients range in age from 4 to 78 years with a median age of 21 years.
Kroger ground beef has been linked to the this E. coli outbreak. State health and agriculture departments have tested ground beef recovered from patient residences and purchased at Kroger® retail stores in Michigan and Ohio. Molecular fingerprinting testing conducted by the Ohio and Michigan Departments of Health and Agriculture Laboratories, in collaboration with PulseNet, the national molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance, on E. coli O157 isolates isolated from ground beef samples have confirmed the isolates to be the outbreak strain of E. coli O157.
Analysis of the case-control study data indicates a significant association between illness among case patients and eating ground beef purchased at at one of several Kroger® Co. stores in Michigan and Ohio. CDC has provided these results to the USDA-FSIS and public health agencies in Michigan and Ohio.
A recall has been announced for ground beef sold at Kroger® Co. Stores in Michigan and Ohio. The products subject to recall include all varieties and weights of ground beef products bearing a Kroger label sold between May 21 and June 8 at Michigan and Columbus and Toledo, Ohio Kroger retail establishments. These ground beef products also include a sell-by date between “05/21/08″ and “06/08/08.”
The epidemiological and microbiological evidence of that Kroger ground beef is linked to the outbreak can be used in a Kroger E. coli lawsuit seeking compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages. We have used both epidemiological and microbiological evidence to successfully prove “causation,” an element of an E. coli lawsuit that looks at whether the suspected food product was the actual cause of the victim’s E. coli infection and related complications, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is one of the leading causes of kidney failure (renal failure).
We have recovered compensation for victims of E. coli outbreaks involving grocery stores. We have also recently recovered amounts for families of people who died from E. coli and HUS. Contact us regarding our experience with E. coli litigation, grocery store liability, a Kroger E. coli lawsuit and any other issue that you would want to discuss with an E. coli lawyer.
Contact a Pritzker | Ruohonen lawyer:
- Call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free);
- Submit our free case consultation form (top of right column); or
- Email our lawyers.
Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A. represents foodborne illness survivors in cases throughout the United States.
