Health Law

Salmonella Lawsuit Filed by Marler Clark on Behalf of Ohio Victim of Taco Bell Salmonella Outbreaks - Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin Lead the Illness Count

By Bill Marler

An Ohio victim of the Salmonella outbreaks linked to Taco Bell filed a food poisoning lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas of Scioto County, Ohio today. The lawsuit was filed against the food chain parent company Yum! Brands on behalf of a Scioto county resident by Bill Marler of food safety law firm Marler Clark and by Fred Wendel of the Columbus firm Stewart & DeChant.

Two parallel outbreaks of Salmonella have been identified by Centers for Disease Control (CDC), both linked to the Taco Bell restaurant chain. Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon--the two outbreak strains--are rare and strong, sickening at least 155 people in 21 states and sending more than 30% of the ill to the hospital. More than 60% of the victims reported eating at Taco Bell.

Tammy Hale purchased food from a Taco Bell in Wheelersburg at the beginning of June. The next day she began to experience gastrointestinal symptoms, which worsened over the next several days until she had to be hospitalized. During her four-day hospitalization, tests revealed that she had been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hartford. She is still recovering from her illness.

"Ohio has been hard-hit by these outbreaks," said food safety advocate and attorney Bill Marler. "Studies show that for every confirmed Salmonella illness in an outbreak, another 38.5 people who are sick don't visit the doctor or don't get tested. Using that math, close to a thousand Ohioans have likely been sickened. Many, like Tammy, are still trying to regain their health. At this point in the outbreak, our job is to help them do that."

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on August 17, 2010 (boomark / email).