Two Restaurants Named in Ohio E. coli Outbreak
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Health officials have named the two Cleveland area restaurants that were investigated as part of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak , that hospitalized two people, sickened a third and may be linked to the death of a 7-year-old Cleveland girl.Matt Carroll, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, told the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper that the two eateries investigated by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service were the VFW Hall in North Olmsted and Deekers Side Tracks, a sports bar and dance club in Mentor.
The newspaper said health officials removed beef burgers from the two establishments, prompting Thursday's recall of 48 tons of frozen hamburger patties and refrigerated ground beef by Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Ill.
The company has said its products were sold to restaurants and other foodservice accounts, not retail stores. The recalled meat, produced March 10, was sold to distributors in 11 states. The E. coli exposures happened in April. All of the hamburger meat recalled was sold in 10-pound, 20-pound and 40-pound packages stamped with USDA Establishment Number 5712.
Test results are expected next week to determine if the 7-year-old girl who died Sunday of an E. coli O157:H7 was sickened by the same strain of the micro-organism as the three others who were made ill. The two who were hospitalized have recovered from their original symptoms..jpg)
The little girl who died was a student at Westpark Comunity Elementary School in Cleveland. School Principal Macey Baldizzi said in a statement Friday, "I want to thank all our Westpark Community Elementary families for supporting the school and being so very respectful of our one family during their time of loss. The family deserves privacy, and they deserve the time to grieve."
National food poisoning law firmPritzker Olsen Attorney issued a pair of press releases Friday calling for Congress to act on a proposed food safety bill that would improve meat inspection and strengthen regulations to help keep deadly pathogens out of the U.S. food supply. The firm also called on Valley Meats LLC and any restaurants involved in the outbreak to pay medical bills, lost wages and other expenses for families who have suffered.
Pritzker Olsen has years of experience representing E. coli victims and their families. The firm has recovered millions of dollars for its food poisoning clients and is dedicated to educating the public about food safety issues. For more information, call the firm to speak to an E. coli lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.
