Raw Milk Causes Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Two Colorado Children
by E. coli Attorney Fred Pritzker
An article in the Denver Post today tells the story of the Pierce family in Colorado. Two of their children were part of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that was linked to Billy Goat Dairy south of Longmont, Colorado. The children contracted E. coli O157:H7 infections that developed into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe illness that causes kidney failure and can lead to brain damage, heart problems, blindness, pancreatitis and death.
The children were in the hospital for three weeks. I have stood by the bed of a child sickened with HUS and looked into the faces of anguished parents. To add to the tragedy of these cases, E. coli O157:H7 and the resulting HUS are preventable with basic sanitation measures.
In the Denver Post article, it says the owner of Billy Goat Dairy is now taking measures to prevent E. coli O157:H7. Why weren’t those measures in place before he distributed milk to consumers?
He removed a manure pile in the goat pasture, put in a gutter system to drain water outside the milk parlor, bought a commercial refrigerator and dishwasher, and is working on a shareholder handbook that suggests such safety tips as not leaving milk in the car while running errands on the way home from the dairy.
Isn’t it obvious that a pile of manure that can harbor dangerous pathogens like E. coli shouldn’t be in the pasture with the goats that are being milked and that water that could be contaminated with the same should not flow into the milking area? Why was the dairy able to operate when it didn’t have a commercial refrigerator or dishwasher?
Colorado does not allow the sale of raw milk, but it does allow people to become part owners in herd-sharing operations and have access to the raw milk produced by the herd. State legislators need to immediately either eliminate this option or give the Colorado Department of Agriculture the authority and direction to enact strict, enforceable regulations regarding specific measures dairies must take before they can distribute raw milk to anyone.
The children sickened in this outbreak did not sign a contract not to sue Billy Goat Dairy. They have legal rights and an avenue to pursue medical expenses and compensation for pain and suffering. Contact me for more information about your child’s legal rights.
