More Than 24 Victims in Memphis Salmonella Outbreak
Public health officials in Memphis say that preliminary tests show that more than two dozen people were infected with Salmonella after eating food served by a local barbecue restaurant.
The Memphis Salmonella outbreak spiked when more than 150 people from throughout the region and different parts of the country gathered for a picnic July 10 at Shelby Farms as part of the three day 2009 Harston Family Reunion. The picnic was catered by A&R Bar-B-Q, 3721 Hickory Hill Road in Memphis. That restaurant has been closed since Saturday for retraining of its employees, a health department review and a self-examination.
National food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who is representing family members sickened in the outbreak, told Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter Ryan Poe that multiple individuals were hospitalized for treatment. Pritzker, founder of the Pritzker Olsen law firm, has been telling newspaper and television reporters in the region that he will follow the health department's investigation and weigh legal options for the victims.
The outbreak is not necessarily limited to attendees of the Harston Family Reunion. Anyone sickened in the outbreak can contact Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or by email at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com or via online consultation form.
Nicole Lacey-Hall, a spokeswoman for the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, told the Commercial Appeal that food samples from A&R on Hickory Hill have been sent in for laboratory testing in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the Salmonella outbreak. The samples included spaghetti, pork, chicken and cole slaw.
Pritzker's law firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm is involved in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning and has collected millions on behalf of victims.
Pritzker Olsen currently represents the families of three women who died late last year and early this year in the peanut product Salmonella outbreak caused by a Georgia peanut plant owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Some healthy adults can withstand Salmonella without medical treatment, but the disease can be a serious health threat to young children, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems.
