Top food safety lawyer says his phones are 'ringing off the hook' after McDonald's E. coli outbreak

• Victims of nan E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's are preparing to sue.
• At slightest 1 has already revenge a suit alleging negligence has been filed.
• A apical nutrient information lawyer told BI that his phones person been "ringing disconnected nan hook."

Victims who person been sickened successful relationship to nan deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's famed Quarter Pounders are already lawyering up.

Top nutrient information lawyer Ron Simon of nan Houston, Texas-based rule patient Ron Simon & Associates told Business Insider Wednesday that his phones person been "ringing disconnected nan hook" aft national wellness officials reported nan outbreak Tuesday.

"When we came to nan agency this morning, we had 100 intakes, 100 telephone calls, and emails asking america to correspond them," nan seasoned lawyer said. "So our unit is correct now going done each of those and determining which are cases."

As of Wednesday afternoon, Simon's patient had already been retained by astatine slightest 12 group who, according to nan attorney, precocious tested affirmative for an E. coli infection aft eating McDonald's meals.

One of those people, a Colorado man, brought nan first suit against nan fast-food elephantine Wednesday — and Simon says he expects his patient to record dozens much lawsuits successful nan coming days.

"We will record individual lawsuits connected behalf of each of our clients," said Simon, who noted nan group he is presently representing scope successful property from arsenic young arsenic 15 to 55-years-old.

"Each of nan lawsuits will activity compensation for their mislaid wages, for nan important aesculapian bills they're going to incur, and besides to compensate them from nan symptom and suffering of becoming sick and moreover hospitalized," Simon said.

At slightest 3 of Simon's clients person been hospitalized arsenic a consequence of their E. coli infection, according to nan attorney.

Simon called nan outbreak "a wholly preventable tragedy."

"If you decently trial nan nutrient and your ingredients earlier you put them into service, earlier you service them, location shouldn't beryllium outbreaks," he said.

Colorado resident Eric Stelly alleges successful his suit that he ate nutrient from his section McDonald's successful nan metropolis of Greeley connected October 4 and 2 days later fell sick pinch E. coli symptoms, which see bloody diarrhea and vomiting.

By October 8, Stelly was hospitalized and he later tested affirmative for nan E. coli O157:H7 strain — nan aforesaid E. coli strain national wellness officials said was linked to nan outbreak — nan lawsuit, revenge by Simon's patient on pinch nan patient Meyers & Flowers, LLC, says.

The lawsuit, which alleges negligence by McDonald's, says that wellness investigators confirmed Stelly was portion of nan E. coli outbreak linked to McDonalds.

Representatives for McDonald's did not instantly respond to a petition for remark by BI.

In a statement, Simon said nan McDonald's-related E. coli outbreak "will beryllium 1 of nan astir important nutrient poisoning outbreaks this year."

"Through this suit and others, we will make judge that each of nan victims are afloat compensated for their losses, that their voices are heard, and that McDonald's and its suppliers permanently hole nan wellness and information violations that caused their nutrient to go contaminated pinch E. coli," he said.

Simon — who besides revenge a wrongful decease lawsuit connected behalf of a Holocaust survivor's family against Boar's Head successful relationship to nan caller deli nutrient listeria outbreak — told BI that he expects McDonald's to settee nan anticipated onslaught of claims for millions of dollars.

"It would beryllium gross negligence connected McDonald's portion not to effort to resoluteness these cases," Simon said. "There were intelligibly mistakes made successful nan testing process — nutrient that was expected to beryllium safe was not safe. It was contaminated."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that nan E. coli outbreak has truthful acold sickened astatine slightest 49 group crossed 10 states and resulted successful 1 death. The outbreak was linked to 10 hospitalizations, pinch astir of nan illnesses occurring successful Colorado and Nebraska, according to nan CDC.

Most group impacted reported eating McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers earlier becoming sick, nan national agency said.

Investigators are moving to corroborate which constituent successful nan hamburgers is responsible for nan contamination.

McDonald's said it paused nan distribution of slivered onions successful nan Quarter Pounder and temporarily removed nan burger from restaurants successful nan impacted areas.