“Never did I expect to suffer like this from eating a burger,” plaintiff Eric Stelly said in a statement. “I hope my lawsuit can shed light on how this happened, so that McDonald’s can fix the problems and prevent them from happening again.”
A Colorado man has filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, claiming that the fast-food behemoth is liable for injuries and illnesses caused by a recent E. coli outbreak.
According to USA Today, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiff Eric Stelly in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. Many of its claims relate to an E. coli outbreak that has been traced back to contaminated Quarter Pounder burgers sold by McDonald’s.
The outbreak, notes USA Today, has killed at least one person and sickened dozens of others across the United States.
In the lawsuit, Stelly’s lawyers say that their client purchased and ate a contaminated Quarter Pounder at a McDonald’s restaurant in Greely, Colorado. Shortly afterward, Stelly began experiencing serious symptoms of nausea, cramps, and bloody stools, all of which are indicative of a bacterial infection. Stelly endured the pain for several days before going to an emergency room, where he tested positive for a E. coli.
He says that he is still recovering from his illness.
“Never did I Expect to suffer like this from eating a burger,” Stelly told USA Today in a statement. “I hope my lawsuit can shed light on how this happened, so that McDonald’s can fix the problems and prevent them from happening again.”
Food safety regulators believe that the slivered onions used on the Quarter Pounder, rather than the meat patty itself, are the likely source of the outbreak.
McDonald’s has since pulled its Quarter Pounder burger from about one-fifth of its restaurants nationwide, citing concerns over the possibility of continued contamination.
“Given the recent events of the past 24 hours, our priority is to reinforce the confidence of American consumers,” McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger told NBC’s “Today” show earlier this week.
“We are very confident that you can go to McDonald’s and enjoy our classics,” Erlinger added. “If there is a contaminated product within our supply chain, it’s very likely worked itself through that supply chain already.”
However, Erlinger did concede that the number of illnesses reported may increase as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigates and traces infections.
Ron Simon, a lawyer for the plaintiff, says that he is representing at least 10 other people who fell sick after eating at McDonald’s restaurants.
“The McDonald’s E. coli Outbreak will be one of the most significant food poisoning outbreaks this year,” Simon said in a press release. “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.”
Sources
First lawsuit filed against McDonald’s over E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounders
First lawsuit filed against McDonald’s over its E. coli outbreak
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