Bill Marler is a Seattle-based personal injury lawyer who champions the cause of children and other people sickened by E. coli, Salmonella and other food borne illness across the US. Continue reading…
Cargill E. coli Outbreak
On October 6, 2007, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation announced that it was recalling approximately 845,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recall was initiated after three people in Minnesota tested positive for E. coli and a joint investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture identified the Cargill hamburger patties as the source of the illnesses. The Cargill products were sold at retail establishments and to restaurants and other institutions.
Most of those who fell ill purchased the Cargill hamburgers at Sam’s Club stores. Outbreak victims were identified in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old dance instructor from Cold Spring, Minnesota was the most seriously injured victim. She developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and seizures necessitated that she be put into a medically induced coma for months. When doctors were able to bring her out of the coma, she was paralyzed from the waist down and had suffered brain damage as well as damage to her kidneys. A New York Times article about Stephanie Smith and the origins of the burger she ate won a Pulitzer prize for Michael Moss. The article detailed the practices that lead to the contaminated meat, and spurred both outrage and an outpouring of sympathy for Stephanie.
Bill Marler represented Stephanie, and worked with Cargill to get her in rehab and get her bills paid even before the lawsuit was settled. Now that her lawsuit is settled, she continues to work toward her goal of dancing again.
