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Law firm represents family of girl sickened in Pizza Ranch E. coli outbreak

A national food safety law firm is representing the family of a 7-year-old girl from Kansas who was sickened in a public outbreak of toxic E. coli 0157. This newly announced outbreak includes at least five other E. coli patients in Minnesota and health officials have associated the illnesses with contaminated food served at Pizza Ranch restaurants.

March 18, 2016

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen P.A. is representing the family of a 7-year-old Kansas girl, who was sickened in a public outbreak of toxic E. coli 0157 from a Pizza Ranch restaurant in Kansas. This newly announced outbreak includes at least five other E. coli patients in Minnesota, and health officials have associated the illnesses with contaminated food served at Pizza Ranch restaurants, according to a press release from the law firm. The investigation is continuing and involves infectious disease experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health scientists from Minnesota and other states.

"We've been told of five more cases that are part of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157 associated with Pizza Ranch," said Elliot Olsen, the lawyer from PritzkerOlsen representing the Kansas family. "Unfortunately, young children are some of the most vulnerable to foodborne illness. E. coli can hit children particularly hard."

The investigation is in its early stages, but the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed Tuesday that the first of five Minnesota illnesses stemmed from a Pizza Ranch meal eaten Dec. 9. Another case patient ate at Pizza Ranch as recently as Jan. 16, the release stated.

There are victims in other states, and pizza dough is the likely source of the outbreak, but it is not yet known what caused the contamination, the release stated. Olsen said at least one victim of the outbreak was hospitalized for life-threatening HUS E. coli infection, also known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. HUS causes kidney failure and can lead to stroke, seizure, heart damage, anemia, coma, paralysis, and death. Other vulnerable groups are older adults and people of all ages who are living with compromised immune systems.

"E. coli outbreaks are preventable and our law firm holds companies fully accountable for selling food tainted with pathogens," Olsen said.