Food can qualify for product liability cases &, depending on the outcome of the investigation into this romaine lettuce e-Coli outbreak, it may be possible to file a lawsuit if you have fallen ill.
After 31 people across 16 states were hospitalized due to e-coli bacteria, health officials are strongly advising consumers to throw out any romaine lettuce they may have purchased recently. Although the bacteria have been traced to Arizona, no particular grower or distributor has yet been linked with the outbreak of a strong strain of e-coli. According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine people have suffered serious kidney failure as a result of contracting e-coli from the affected romaine lettuce. Aside from the 31 who have been hospitalized, another 22 have fallen ill from eating the lettuce, with cases reported across Alaska, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Virginia.
This virulent strain of Escherichia coli O157:57 started in late March. To put an end to it as soon as possible, the CDC have advised:
Consumers anywhere in the United States who have store-bought chopped romaine lettuce at home, including salads and salad mixes containing chopped romaine lettuce, should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick. If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.
Before purchasing romaine lettuce at a grocery store or eating it at a restaurant, confirm with the store or restaurant that it is not chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. If you cannot confirm the source of the romaine lettuce, do not buy it or eat it.
Could an E-Coli-Related Illness Qualify for a Defective Products Case?
A product liability claim can generally be filed where a person has become ill or sustained injuries due to using a defective product. For the purposes of these claims, a defective product is one which is unsafe to be used as intended, whether down to a manufacturing defect, design defect, or failure to warn of hazards. Food can qualify for product liability cases and, depending on the outcome of the investigation into this romaine lettuce e-coli outbreak, it may be possible to file a lawsuit if you have fallen ill.
