Lawsuit against the City of Opelika, AL for E. coli in Splash Park and Swimming Pool
Victims of E. coli poisoning and its complications (E. coli HUS) have the right to sue responsible parties for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and other compensation. Cases of E. coli O157 have been associated with the Splash Park and pool at the Opelika SportsPlex and Aquatic Center, owned by the City of Opelika, AL.
Thirteen children and two adults who either played in the Splash Park or swam in the pool at the Opelika SportsPlex and Aquatic Center between June 4 and June 22 were identified with severe gastrointestinal illness. Five children have been confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7 infection. Four children were initially hospitalized and two remain hospitalized.
Legal Theories for a Lawsuit Involving E. coli in Public Swimming Area
With cases involving E. coli poisoning from a swimming pool or splash park, there are two primary legal theories that could be involved: 1) premises liability and 2) negligence.
- Premises Liability:
A property owner is liable for injuries that occur as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on the property that the owner knew about or should have known about. To prevent E. coli outbreaks, it is essential that public pools and water parks follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for adequate chlorine and pH levels. All sorts of things can reduce chlorine levels in pool water. Some examples are sunlight, dirt, debris, and material from swimmers’ bodies. That’s why chlorine levels must be routinely measured. As pH goes up, the ability of chlorine to kill germs goes down, so pH levels also need to be tested. - Negligence: An enormous amount of evidence needs to be gathered and analyzed to determine whether a public swimming facility was negligent. The following are some of the questions that need to be answered: 1) What was the testing timetable and was the testing done? 2) What were the testing procedures and were they followed? 3) If chlorine or pH levels needed adjusting, were they adjusted? 4) Was there known fecal contamination? 5) If there was fecal contamination, what was the fecal incident response?
E. coli infections can develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure, strokes, brain damage, heart problems, pancreatitis, other serious health problems, and death. Our E. coli attorneys have won millions for E. coli HUS victims and their families. We have stood at the bedsides of our young clients as they fought for their lives and take every measure to ensure that they have the best legal representation possible. They deserve it.
Alabama E. coli Outbreak Linked to Opelika Waterpark
Our E. coli attorneys have won money for children sickened by contaminated water, including children who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The young victims of the Alabama E. coli outbreak linked to the Splash Park at the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatic Center deserve compensation. Watch our videos on E. coli HUS and Children. Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen are featured in these videos. HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States, and even children who contracted E. coli infections but did not develop HUS are at greater risk for kidney problems in the future. Our attorneys can discuss this with concerned parents.
The Alabama E. coli outbreak linked to the Splash Park at the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatic Center continues to grow. The Alabama Department of Public Health says 5 children have gastrointestinal illness, and 3 of those children have tested positive for E. coli infections. The children were at the Opelika Splash Park between June 12 and June 18.
Four children have been hospitalized at East Alabama Medical Center. One of the children was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Children with E. coli can suffer severe abdominal pain and dehydration from bloody diarrhea. If a child develops HUS, complications include kidney failure (requiring dialysis), hypertension, stroke, blindness, pancreatitis, heart attack and other serious medical problems. Our young HUS clients from other outbreaks have been in the hospital for weeks or months and fought for their lives.
Our E. coli attorneys represent E. coli and E. coli HUS victims nationwide. For a free consultation with an attorney about a lawsuit against the City of Opelika and others, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.
E. coli O145 Outbreak Tied to R.V. Toilet Dumping
The first produce-associated E. coli O145 outbreak identified in the United States occurred last year when 33 people in five states were sickened after eating Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce processed in Ohio. It also was the first foodborne illness outbreak associated with produce grown in the area around Yuma, Arizona.
For those reasons, the FDA chose the outbreak for a postmortem environmental assessment in hopes of tracing exactly where in the supply chain the romaine became contaminated. The answer? The likely cause was human waste emptied from RVs at an RV park adjacent to an irrigation canal. The E. coli-contaminated canal was used to water four farm fields where the romaine was grown and picked.
The recently published FDA findings coincide with final-phase E. coli lawsuit work conducted by national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. Ohio-based Freshway was implicated early on in this outbreak and conducted a romaine recall. When the investigation of the plant failed to determine how the lettuce became contaminated, FDA’s researchers turned to the farm fields in Wellton, Arizona, where the produce was grown. Those sickened in the outbreak were from Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
E. coli O145 is similar to the more prevalent E. coli O157:H7 in that it is an enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). It is the Shiga toxins that can cause serious injury or death, usually in part with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children worldwide. HUS. E. coli O145 is part of a group of E. coli serotypes called non-O157 STEC.
According to FDA documents obtained by law firm PritzkerOlsen, the R.V. park is located on a knoll directly above the lateral irrigation canal that supplies water to the suspect fields. The R.V. park is serviced by eight on-site septic leach systems. The FDA investigation found evidence of drainage from the R.V. park directly into the irrigation canal. No outbreak strains of E. coli O145 were found, but two drag swabs and one mud sample found non-O157 STEC Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2)-producing E. coli. Investigators noted that a water pump and hose at this location could be used by R.V. owers to empty and rinse their toilet tanks.
“We determined that the R.V. park is a reasonably likely potential source of the outbreak pathogen,” the report said.
This outbreak hit hard on several school campuses and PritzkerOlsen is representing a woman whose freshman studies were abruptly interrupted at Daemen College in Amherst, New York, when she became infected and seriously ill after eating contaminated lettuce. PritzkerOlsen is one of the very few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and its attorneys have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning. A lawyer is always available to answer legal questions about an E. coli death or illness at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or communication can be started with our online contact form.
E. coli in Gouda Persists Past 60 Days of Aging
Nearly two months after the onset of the Bravo Farms Gouda Cheese E. coli outbreak, epidemiologists in Vermont have published results of a study showing that the 60-day aging requirement in the making of Gouda cheese from raw milk is not long enough to outlast E. coli 0157:H7 that may be in the cheese.
At least 38 people since early October have been sickened in the Costco Bravo Farms E. coli outbreak in Arizona, Colorado, California, New Mexico and Nevada. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is continuing to investigate the outbreak along with state health officials who have isolated the outbreak strain of E. coli in opened and unopened packages of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese sold or sampled at Costco. The Bravo Farms label says the Gouda was made from raw milk. All Bravo Farms cheeses have been recalled since the outbreak became known.
Attorneys from Pritzker Olsen law firm have gone to work for victims of this outbreak and the firm continues to accept new cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. Pritzker Olsen is one of only a few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we continue to field inquiries about a Bravo Farms E. coli class action lawsuit. Over the years we have recovered millions for victims of E. coli and HUS or hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The Vermont study is of interest because it shows that Gouda and stirred-curd Cheddar cheeses made from raw milk don’t shed E. coli 0157:H7 in the required 60-day aging process. Counts of the bacteria decreased in the first 60 days of aging, but E. coli 0157:H7 was still detected in Gouda and Cheddar more than 100 days after the cheeses were infused with the pathogen.
“In agreement with results of previous studies, our results suggest that the 60-day aging requirement alone is insufficient to completely eliminate levels of viable E. coli O157:H7 in Gouda or stirred-curd Cheddar cheese manufactured from raw milk contaminated with low levels of this pathogen,” the authors wrote in a synopsis of the study published this month in the Journal of Food Protection. The authors are affiliated with the University of Vermont’s Department of Nutrition of Food Sciences.
Bravo Farms Cheese Recall and E. coli Lawsuit
A rare strain of E. coli 0157:H7 has been found in an unopened, intact sample of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese to confirm the Bravo Farms link to an outbreak of E. coli infections in Arizona, Colorado, south
ern California, New Mexico and Nevada. In addition, the presence of E. coli and Listeria at Bravo Farms Cheese Factory in California has prompted the company to recall all of its cheeses, not just Gouda.
Bravo Farms sells a variety of cheeses at retail stores throughout the US, mainly on the West coast, including Gouda, Pepper Jack, Tulare Cannonball, and several different styles and flavors of Cheddar cheese. All together, 38 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest press report — its sixth report since the outbreak was first detected – the number of ill persons identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AZ (19), CA (3), CO (11), NM (3) and NV (2). There have been 15 reported hospitalizations, 1 case of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and no deaths.
This outbreak has prompted a Costco and Bravo Farms cheese lawsuit spearheaded by national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Members of the public sickened by Bravo Farms cheese sold or sample at Costco can call our claims center at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page to obtain a free case consultation. Pritzker Olsen is continuing to accept new cases.
According to the CDC’s latest report, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the New Mexico Department of Health have provided key laboratory findings to link Bravo Farms cheese to the outbreak strain of E. coli 0157:H7. As the investigation continues, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing to work with its state partners to investigate Bravo Farms and to identify potential sources of contamination
Arizona Costco Cheese and Bravo Farms Lawsuit
An Arizona Costco Cheese and Bravo Farms lawsuit has been filed through local counsel with national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen representing a family of four who contracted E. coli O157:H7 infections after consuming Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese at the Costco store located in Glendale, Arizona, on October 15, 2010. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona against Bravo Farms Cheese, LLC, a California limited liability corporation, and Costco Wholesale Corporation, a Washington corporation.
The Arizona Costco and Bravo Farms lawsuit alleges that the family suffered gastroenteritis, including severe cramping and diarrhea, from the Gouda cheese, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has sickened at least 33 people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
One of the children was seen by a medical professional, who took a stool sample. Lab tests revealed that the child was infected with the same genetic strain of E. coli O157:H7 causing the outbreak. The complaint states that officials from the Arizona Department of Health interviewed the parents about the illnesses in their family and determined the entire family contracted E. coli O157:H7 from eating contaminated Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda cheese at Costco.
E. coli attorney Fred Pritzker said the family suffered severe illnesses that disrupted their lives and put them at risk for serious complications. “The contaminated Gouda cheese should never have been sold to the public, and Bravo Farms and Costco need to be held accountable,” Pritzker said.
The Costco and Bravo Farms lawsuit seeks compensation for the family for medical expenses, travel expenses, wage loss, pain, suffering, emotional distress and other damages.
Mr. Pritzker’s firm is continuing to accept cases from this outbreak. Individuals and families who were the unfortunate victims of E. coli poisoning in this outbreak may call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web site. PritzkerOlsen, P.A., represents E. coli victims nationwide and the firm has won millions for food poisoning victims while also staying actively involved in various efforts to keep potentially deadly pathogens out of the U.S. food supply.
