The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Colorado public health officials have solved the mystery as to what was the source of a Colorado Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak in mid-July: contaminated eggs produced by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms in Iowa. All of the Colorado victims became ill after eating at The Fort Restaurant in Morrison betwen July 10 and 16.
Health officials have now issued a Colorado egg recall matching that issued by the CDC.
The Illnesses
In all, 28 people who dined at The Fort Restaurant between July 10 and 16 became sick. Of those, 8 were confirmed cases and 20 were listed as probable. A confirmed case is one in which the victim provided a stool culture that was positive. A probable case is one in which the victim did not provide a stool culture, but exhibited symptoms of salmonella poisoning within 6 to 72 hours after consuming foods from the restaurant.
The victims illnesses vary in severity, and some citizens were forced to be hospitalized for several days due to severe dehydration, fever, and complications from the salmonella infection.
The Investigation
To determine the source of the outbreak, crack health officials from Jefferson County used The Fort’s reservation list to track down 90 people who dined there during the week of the outbreak. Extensive questioning by health officials of the diners revealed that many of the victims had consumed a common dish – rattlesnake cakes. But others also became sick after eating other egg-based dishes that contained the contaminated eggs.
“The batter used in preparation of the rattlesnake cakes did have eggs in it which tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis that matched the Salmonella Enteritidis strain found in the victims” said Dr. Mark Johnson, Jefferson County Health Executive Director.
Upon learning of the outbreak, The Fort immediately removed rattlesnake cakes from its menu and destroyed any remaining eggs.
Samples of the Colorado Salmonella Enteritidis strain were then sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further testing. The CDC has since determined that the Colorado strain matches the Salmonella Enteritidis strain from the national egg outbreak linked to Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.
No Further Warnings Against The Fort
Jefferson County health department spokeswoman Nancy Braden said the health department did not issue a public warning or close the restaurant because investigators were able to locate patrons and had identified and removed the contamination source. She said The Fort is unlikely to face fines because they cooperated with the department. “In this case the restaurant was working directly with us and there was no reason to close the restaurant because we were able to remove the threat,” Braden said.
The restaurant is designed like a fort from the 1800s and its cuisine reflects the period. In 1997, at the Summit of the Eight, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin were among those who dined there.
The Fort Issues Public Statement
The restaurant issued the following public statement:
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to our customers who were affected by this illness. We hold the highest standards and consider each customer a guest in our home, The Fort.”
“These were isolated confirmed cases of food borne illness. The one food item suspected was immediately removed from our menu,” the statement continued. “We are working closely with the Jefferson County Health Department, adhering to all recommendations to make our preparation of food as safe as possible.”
The Fort has remained open since the outbreak.
First Egg Lawsuit in the Southwest filed by National Food Safety Firm
The salmonella lawyers at national food safety law firm Simon & Luke have filed the first lawsuit in the Southwest against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. That suit was filed Wednesday on behalf of Amanda Sanchez, a 34-year old Austin woman who was hospitalized for 4 days after consuming contaminated eggs in a breakfast taco.
As reported by national television stations at NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and FOX: “We have already been contacted by hundreds of families who became ill from these eggs. We are going to continue to advocate for safer food measures so this will not happen again. These lawsuits are just one way we can effectuate change in our country so that our food supply becomes safer for all of us.”
Simon added that many of his clients, from all over the country, have suffered debilitating illnesses as a result of the outbreak “Our clients range from those who got better in a week or so to people who remained in the hospital for several weeks. Many have significant medical bills running in the tens of thousands. We will make sure that the egg farms pay those bills and for all time these citizens missed from work, and compensate our clients for the suffering they have endured and will endure in the future”
Recent reports have now revealed that the owner of the egg farms, Jack DeCoster, has paid millions of dollars in fines for safety, health, and worker violations at his numerous egg facilities over the past three decades.
Simon & Luke Can Help
If you became ill after eating at the Fort Restaurant between July 10 and 16, and were contacted by local health authorities, then you are one of the 28 cases identified by the Jefferson County Health Department. If so, you are entitled to significant compensation for your illness – including payment for all of your medical bills, lost wages, and suffering you endured – whether or not you sought medical treatment.
The Salmonella lawyers at Simon & Luke are currently investigating this salmonella egg outbreak. We have represented over 2000 victims of salmonella across the United States, including numerous Colorado residents, filing hundreds of salmonella lawsuits and recovering millions of dollars in salmonella settlements for our clients.
We have already been called upon by NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN, along with dozens of print media outlets, to provide commentary and insight into the salmonella egg outbreak, its source, and measures that can be taken to make our egg supply and food system safer for all.
Call us toll free at 1-888-335-4901 or contact us by email at ron@simonluke.com – we are happy to answer your questions free of charge.
