Jefferson County Jail E. coli Outbreak
According to an Associated Press report, about 70 inmates at the Jefferson County Jail in Golden, Colorado, have been sickened by E. coli. As of this morning, one inmate has been hospitalized.
Epidemiologists are interviewing sickened inmates, testing samples of food and water, and reviewing food-handling procedures in an effort to find the source of the outbreak. E. coli can be transmitted by food, water, person-to-person contact, and animal-to-person contact. Foods often associated with E. coli outbreaks are ground beef, spinach, lettuce, and unpasteurized apple juice. Any food, however, can be contaminated by cross-contamination (contamination of one food item by another food item that is already contaminated) or contamination by a food handler who has not adequately washed his or her hands.
Every case of E. coli, whether it is by water, food, another person or an animal is caused by consuming infected fecal matter, i.e., eating poop. When a person contracts an E. coli infection, that person has the right to seek compensation for damages from responsible parties. Compensation can include medical expenses (including future medical expenses), pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other damages.
Pritzker | Ruohonen, a leading E. coli litigation law firm, has a national practice. Attorney Fred Pritzker has been interviewed by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He has also been selected by other lawyers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and has been named, once again, a “Super Lawyer” by his state’s Law & Politics magazine. To contact an E. coli lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.