Colorado resident files lawsuit against McDonald's after E. coli outbreak
DENVER (KDVR) – A Colorado resident has filed a lawsuit against McDonald's after testing positive for E. coli earlier this month.
Recently, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced they suspect all McDonald’s locations in Colorado “received ingredients from the same suppliers” and all locations may be affected by the nationwide E. coli outbreak that killed one and sickened 49 people.
So far, the department has confirmed 26 people in Colorado have gotten sick and one person has died from an E. coli outbreak linked to the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.
According to the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Eric Stelly was one of the people affected by the outbreak and tested positive for E. coli shortly after eating at a McDonald's in Greeley, Colorado.
The law firm of Ron Simon & Associates filed the lawsuit, which claimed that Stelly ate at McDonald's on Oct. 4 and two days later started experiencing common E. coli poisoning symptoms like nausea, stomach cramps and dehydration.
Four days after eating at the chain establishment, the lawsuit said Stelly went to the emergency room where he tested positive for E. coli. Another two days later, the Weld County Department of Public Health called Stelly about the diagnosis and confirmed he had eaten food from McDonald's, the documents said.
The lawsuit, filed in Illinois where McDonald's is headquartered, said Stelly is still recovering.
"The McDonald's E. coli Outbreak will be one of the most significant food poisoning outbreaks this year. Through this lawsuit and others, we will make sure that all of the victims are fully compensated for their losses, that their voices are heard, and that McDonald's and its suppliers permanently fix the health violations that caused the food to become contaminated with E. coli," said Simon.
So far, the outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers has affected consumers in 10 states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not determined an exact item responsible for the outbreak and is investigating the onions and beef patties used on the Quarter Pounders.
McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger said in an interview on the “Today” show that the company removed the Quarter Pounder from the menu in the states where people tested positive, as well as in several other states.
“What’s important today is that we’ve taken the action to protect the American public and promote public health,” Erlinger said. “We’re confident that we’ll see our way through this and will restore confidence for the American consumer to come to McDonald’s.”