Personal Injury Law

With over 70 sickened, 50 hospitalized and 1 death, focus now is on what food item at Locust Grove Country Cottage Buffet was contaminated with E. coli O157:H7

By Bill Marler, Esq.

People in Oklahoma are understandably concerned about what is causing their friends and neighbors to become sick – some severely so. Unfortunately, pin-pointing an E. coli-contaminated food item in a buffet is difficult. Most people at buffets eat many items, and the same items, making in difficult to determine which item independently is the vector for the illnesses.

Cross-contamination is always an issue, but clearly, some food item (my suspicion – steak or hamburger) allowed the deadly E. coli to hitch a ride into the restaurant. It is not the first time that a buffet was the source of E. coli–related illnesses. In most, the vector is found, however, sometimes the best that can be determined is that it occurred at the restaurant. Here are a few that we have been involved with over the years.

Captain’s Galley Seafood Restaurant E. coli Outbreak - North Carolina

China Buffet E. coli Outbreak – Minnesota

Finley Elementary School E. coli Outbreak – Washington

Golden Corral E. coli Outbreak – Nebraska

Habaneros E. coli Outbreak – Missouri

King Garden Restaurant E. coli Outbreak – Ohio

Olive Garden E. coli Outbreak – Oregon

Sizzler E. coli Outbreak – Wisconsin

For more on Food Litigation generally and E. coli Litigation in particular, follow the links.  For more information on E. coli O157:H7, follow the link here.  And, for information on Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, follow the link here.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on August 29, 2008 (boomark / email).