OFT Food Safety Lawyers File First Lawsuit In Massive Nationwide Salmonella Outbreak From Onions

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers filed the first lawsuit in the multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to onions distributed by ProSource, Inc. and sold throughout the United States. The lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court (File No. 1:21-cv-5591) on October 20, 2021, on behalf of an Illinois man who suffered a harrowing illness and hospitalization after eating raw onions on a taco at a Mexican restaurant.

Advanced genetic testing known as Whole Genome Sequencing revealed that the Plaintiff in the case contracted outbreak strain of Salmonella, according to the Complaint. To date, the Centers for Disease Control has identified 652 confirmed Salmonella Oranienburg illnesses in 37 states that were caused by contaminated onions. Along with Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Maryland, Illinois is one of the hardest hit states with at least 31 confirmed illnesses.

OFT Food Safety Lawyer Ryan Osterholm praised the public health testing that revealed the source of the outbreak:

Public health infrastructure is critically important to protecting our families from dangerous food. The WGS testing performed on my client and the other 650 people in this outbreak allowed CDC, FDA and state health departments to get this product off the shelves and quite literally save lives. It is even more important to have a robust testing system when the outbreak is caused by a product like onions which is often mixed in with other produce items. 

Osterholm also noted that the outbreak-causing strain of Salmonella has proven to be particularly dangerous. "As of today, CDC reports 129 hospitalizations from the tainted onions. I have talked to people with kidney damage, auto-immune neurological symptoms, and truly horrible blood infections. This is not just the stomach flu," Osterholm said. 

The Plaintiff in the Illinois case reported eating a taco at the El Norteño restaurant in Island Lake, Illinois. Within days he experienced debilitating stomach cramps, bloody stool and was hospitalized for five days. 

With over 4 decades of experience, the lawyers at OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers have recovered millions on behalf of food poisoning victims. OFT is one of the largest national law firms committed to representing food poisoning victims. If you have been affected by this outbreak, contact OFT Law for a free consultation today. Call or text 888-828-7087 or email [email protected].

SOURCE OFT Law PLLC

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