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.
Opelika, AL E. coli Outbreak Associated with Pool and Splash Park
The E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Lee County, Alabama has sickened thirteen children and two adults, all of whom either played in the Splash Park or swam in the pool at the Opelika SportsPlex and Aquatic Center between June 4 and June 22. To date, five children have been confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7 infection.
Four children were initially hospitalized, and two remain hospitalized. An E. coli infection can develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.
“Based on the information that we have now, it appears that the common source of exposure was the Aquatic Center,” said State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson. “Because of the risk for outbreak of illness, it is essential that public pools and water parks follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for adequate chlorine and pH levels.”
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.
Well Owners Advised to test for E. coli in Water
After settling a well water E. coli case in Iowa and investigating a well water E. coli outbreak at a fitness center in Missouri, lawyer Elliot Olsen says these public health dangers could be avoided with mandatory testing.
Olsen reached a confidential six-figure settlement for a two-year-old E. coli victim in rural Iowa who was sickened by E. coli in well water at her family’s rented home.
The well owner contended the child contracted E. coli directly from cattle in nearby fields, but Olsen hired university experts to study and prove that manure runoff from the cattle seeped into the private well serving the house.
Sadly, the little girl was hospitalized for an extended period when she developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). She suffered permanent kidney damage and is at risk for needing a kidney transplant in the future.
Meanwhile in Missouri, Cape Girardeau County Public Health said there are 7 laboratory-confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7, all children. In addition, there are 11 other probable infections. The gym in question is the Class Act Family Fitness Center, 2336 County Road 307 in Jackson, which has agreed to cease providing water to its users.
Water from the well used by Class Act Family Fitness has tested positive for E. coli, and further testing is being done to determine if it is E. coli O157:H7.
HUS can develop in any person with an E. coli O157:H7 infection, but children are the most prone to this life-threatening disease. In Missouri, at least four of the well water E. coli victims were hospitalized.
To prevent similar outbreaks, Olsen recommends the following testing requirements for well owners who supply water for a business or rental property:
- Mandatory yearly testing of water for E. coli and other pathogens.
- Mandatory testing of water if the well has been overtopped by flood water or compromised.
- Required posting of well water risks near water fountains and water taps.
Attorney Elliot Olsen represents E. coli victims nationwide. He can be reached at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing an online contact form.
Well Water E. coli HUS Lawsuit Settled
The food poisoning lawyers at Pritzker Olsen law firm have represented many victims of serious foodborne illnesses, including E. coli hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) lawsuits. However, Pritzker Olsen lawyers have recently settled a more unusual E. coli lawsuit that involves E. coli-contaminated water supplies on a rental property.
Many people think foods–particularly ground beef or leafy greens–are the only sources of E. coli infections in humans, but that is untrue. Drinking water contaminated with E. coli can be just as deadly or life-changing as any other E. coli infection. In this case, the drinking water at a rural Iowa rental home was supplied by a well that was contaminated with the pathogen, and a toddler living at the home became seriously ill in 2007.
Early E. coli symptoms included severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, but soon developed into a serious kidney condition that attacks red blood cells and is called hemolytic uremic syndrome (E. coli HUS). The child was hospitalized for a month and put on kidney dialysis. Although her condition has improved she will have lifelong kidney damage and is at risk for needing a kidney transplant in the future.
Local authorities tested the home’s tap water and found E. coli in the water supply about a month after the child became sick. Pritzker Olsen attorneys hired a microbiologist, pediatric nephrologist and geohydrologist to serve as expert witnesses who could communicate to the defense attorneys that the conditions on the home’s property did, indeed, lead to the child’s illness, which seriously affected her life and the lives of her family members. It was found that the well water likely became contaminated with E. coli from manure that rainwater washed into the water supply from fields of cattle that grazed uphill from the well not far from the home.
