An egg Salmonella lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa is going forward with the addition of evidence collected in the past week during on-site inspections of these facilities by attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., a national food safety law firm.
PritzkerOlsen represents victims in the nationwide egg Salmonella outbreak and is continuing to accept cases from a group of more than 1,600 people sickened since May from contaminated shell eggs. The law firm's egg Salmonella claims center has information on contacting an attorney for a free consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE).
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Investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also inspected multiple facilities of Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. At Wright County Egg, officials found chicken manure reaching eight feet high, employees who did not wear or change protective clothing when moving from one laying house to another, and many live mice throughout the facilities. Inspectors also observed wild birds sitting near and flying over grain bins that contained chicken feed. In total, six samples taken from the facilities and feed supply tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis
At Hillandale Farms, FDA inspections found numerous unsealed rodent holes, liquid manure “streaming” from a crack in the manure pit, and uncaged hens tracking manure throughout the laying facilities. FDA found Salmonella Enteritidis in a sample of spent water from an egg wash station.
FDA’s inspectional observations, in addition to sample results, indicate substantial potential for Salmonella to have persisted in the environment and to have contaminated eggs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded. The findings indicate that Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa are the likely sources of the contaminated shell eggs.
A person infected with Salmonella Enteritidis usually has fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without antibiotic treatment. However, the diarrhea can be severe, and hospitalization may be required. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems may have a more serious illness. In these patients, the infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
