Yes, if there is evidence linking your illness to eating food at a Chipotle restaurant, you can sue Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. The E.coli legal team at Pritzker Hageman law firm filed the first lawsuit against Chipotle for this E. coli O26 outbreak. Our client contracted an E. coli infection after eating a burrito bowl on October 21, 2015.
If you contracted an E. coli infection (or suspect you did) after eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant, below are the steps you need to take:
- First, see a doctor and make sure you are getting the medical attention you need.
- Ask the doctor to get a stool sample and have it tested for E. coli O26.
- Make sure your local health department is alerted to the diagnosis
- Contact our attorneys about a lawsuit for compensation, including amounts for pain and suffering, lost wages (the time you could not work because of the illness), medical expenses and other damages. For more information read “Can I Sue a Restaurant for Food Poisoning?“
Chipotle E. coli O26 Outbreak Investigation
Because this outbreak involves 2 states, Oregon and Washington, the FDA and CDC are assisting the Washington State Department of Health and the Oregon Health Authority in the investigation. Our attorneys are also conducting an independent investigation, gathering evidence needed to hold Chipotle accountable for the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) infections.
The CDC is performing DNA “fingerprinting” on E. coli bacteria isolated from ill people by using a technique called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE. When people are sickened by E. coli bacteria with indistinguishable PFGE patterns, it means that they were sickened by the same source.
To date, the CDC has found one DNA fingerprint (outbreak strain) of STEC O26. Five isolates from ill people in Washington (2) and Oregon (3) have been uploaded to the CDC PulseNet database. All five people were infected with STEC O26 that has the same DNA fingerprint. Laboratory testing is continuing.
The outbreak is growing, and there are now 39 ill people reported from Washington (29) and Oregon (10). Of those, 14 people in Washington (11) and Oregon (3) have been hospitalized.
Washington and Oregon report that most of the ill people ate at several locations of Chipotle Mexican Grill before getting sick. The investigation is ongoing to determine if the ill people ate a common meal item or ingredient that was served at the restaurant locations. Chipotle Mexican Grill voluntarily closed all of its locations in Washington and multiple locations in the Portland, Oregon area until more information is available.
At this time, CDC does not have any information to suggest that Chipotle Mexican Grill locations in other states are affected by this outbreak.
FDA is testing several different food items collected from Chipotle Mexican Grill locations in Washington and Oregon for the presence of bacteria. We will update this post with any new information.
National Food Safety Law Firm
We are a food safety law firm that represents people sickened in outbreaks caused by contaminated food and water. Our lawyers have won millions for our clients in personal injury lawsuits against restaurants.