Personal Injury Law

Salmonella Outbreak At Italy's Grand Hotel Gardone

By Marler Clark LLP

Sometimes we think about things in terms of what might make good fiction.  

Chapter 1 - A rare strain of Salmonella spread by an early harvest of tomatoes somewhere in Mexico or Florida makes thousands of people sick in the United States. Hundreds if not thousands of state and federal food safety and health officials are, so far,  failing to find the source of dangerous tomatoes.

Chapter 2 - Across the globe at the ritzy Grand Hotel Gardone in Italy, 71-year old Geoffrey Appleyard, a British tourist, dies a mysterious death as 30 other Brits become sick with a "virulent" strain of salmonella.   Thirteen are ill enough to be sealed off in an isolation ward at an Italian hospital.

Coincidence?

We sure hope so.   Police have yet to establish any link between the food poisoning and Mr Appleyard's death.   According to the UK Telegraph:

Mr Appleyard was discovered slumped in the bathroom by his wife Jean later that evening and died shortly after.

Mrs Appleyard remained at the hotel with her daughter and gave a statement to police.

Previously, Mrs Appleyard said her husband had begun to feel ill after eating a seafood risotto and a main course of fish. An autopsy was carried out and the results are expected in the next few days, the police said.

The state prosecutor has opened an inquiry into possible manslaughter and causing grievous harm.

Go here for the UK Telegraph story, which has lots of comments from the recovering tourists.

Full post as published by Salmonella Blog on June 26, 2008 (boomark / email).