Food Poisoning Law Blog

There are now 7 confirmed cases and 6 probable cases of E. coli in Floyd County, Indiana.  Most of the people sickened  are elementary students who attend Galena Elementary School in Floyds Knobs, Indiana.  Most of the children with confirmed cases of E. coli are hospitalized.  It is hard to write this in such a matter-of-fact way when innocent children are suffering excruciating pain.  The following is an excerpt from Wave3 TV:

One mother, in particular, is upset not only about how the situation was handled, but also because she has to watch helplessly while her 6-year-old daughter suffers. "No child should ever have to endure, the stuff that  she's gone through," said Marcia Jacobi.

Jacobi says her daughter, Sydney, started showing symptoms of the illness last Wednesday. She had her tested and diagnosed within a day, but her condition has worsened.  Her platelets are down and she could have to be put on dialysis. . . .

Jacobi says her daughter screams when she goes to the bathroom. "It's just unbearable to listen to her."

Sydney must have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.  About 5% of the children who get HUS die; others never fully recover.  The following is an excerpt of an e-mail we received:

My daughter was infected with E. Coli in August 2000 at the age of 3.  She developed HUS and was hospitalized for 2 weeks; 10 days on dialysis.  We have just hit the 7 year mark and she has developed mild hypertension and protein in her urine.  She is now taking an ACE inhibitor which is working for both problems and her doctor says it will get her through her "growing years".  Doctors don't seem to want to try to predict the future, but I have accepted the fact that she will need a transplant at some point in her young adult life.  The reason for this email is to stress that there is no crystal ball to determine how well someone will "recover".  It may take years before it is known what damage was really done.  I was not fortunate enough to know how my daughter got infected.  But these people who do know the source, need to be compensated not only for their initial horrifying experience with HUS but for the even more costly, life changing events that may face them 10 or even 20 years from now.

Pritzker | Ruohonen is a leading E. coli litigation law firm.  To contact Pritzker | Ruohonen, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online consultation form.