Salmonella Lawsuit Blames Taco Bell
A Kentucky woman has filed suit over Samonella poisoning she claims she got from a Taco Bell restaurant. Taco Bell restaurants have been implicated in two different Salmonella outbreaks involving the Hartford and Baildon strains. At least 155 people in 21 states have been sickened in the outbreaks.
According to her lawsuit, Jo Anne Smith became ill with symptoms typical of Salmonella poisoning two days after she had eaten tacos garnished with lettuce, cheese, and sour cream from a Frankfort Taco Bell. On May 29, the 45-year-old Smith was so weak and dehydrated that she called her husband and asked him to take her to the emergency room. A stool sample Smith submitted while at the ER later returned positive for Salmonella Hartford.
According to a report on OregonLive.com, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has not officially named Taco Bell as the culprit, instead referring to a unnamed Mexican-style fast food chain it calls “Restaurant A.” However, an official with Oregon Public Health told the site that: “It’s been clear for weeks that Taco Bell was the source for many of the illnesses.”
Because the illnesses have been reported in so many states, experts believe the pathogens may have been present on vegetables that were contaminated before they arrived at the restaurants.
