AZ man files lawsuit after becoming severely ill with Salmonella poisoning; He is one of 418 victims affected by the current outbreak.

As of September 17, 2015, Marler Clark LLP, the Food Safety Law Firm based in Seattle, has filed their seventh lawsuit against Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, Inc., a corporation based in San Diego, CA. William D. Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark, is representing Maricopa County resident William Levy, after he fell extremely ill after consuming a contaminated cucumber that was manufactured and distributed by Andrew & Williamson. The case number is 2:21-cv-01858-DJH.

During the month of July 2015, plaintiff William Levy ate cucumbers every day that were purchased at the WinCo Foods store located at 330 W. Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ. On August 2, William began to experience a wide range of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, stomach cramping, muscle aches, fatigue, and a headache. That day, William carried a fever that spiked as high at 106.7 degrees.

William eventually sought treatment in the emergency room at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Scottsdale, AZ, and was then transferred to the hospital because of the severity of his symptoms. He spent two days in the hospital before he was released. While he was hospitalized, William submitted both blood and stool samples. His stool sample ultimately tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella present in cucumbers distributed by Andrew & Williamson that is confirmed as the source of the recent multi-state outbreak.

Currently, William is beginning to recover, although he continues to experience headaches, body pain, and fatigue. He regularly follows up with his doctor, as William’s body has not fully rid itself of the Salmonella bacteria. As recent as September 15, 2015, William was seen again at the Mayo Clinic for pneumonia and high fever as a result of the Salmonella poisoning.

“Salmonella is a nasty bacteria,” said food safety attorney and Salmonella expert, Bill Marler. “Aside from the immediate symptoms like nausea and diarrhea,” he continued, “The bacteria can morph into a more chronic infection, spurring onsets of joint pain, arthritis, and as we see here, pneumonia. The symptoms tend to be more severe with victims whose immune systems are already compromised, such as infants and the elderly, but this can really happen to anyone. ”

As of September 15, 2015, a total of 418 illnesses from Salmonella Poona have been reported from 31 states. The victims of the outbreak include: Alaska (10), Arizona (72), Arkansas (6), California (89), Colorado (16), Hawaii (1), Idaho (14), Illinois (6), Indiana (2), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (4), Minnesota (20), Missouri (8), Montana (13), Nebraska (2), Nevada (9), New Mexico (22), New York (4), North Dakota (2), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (10), Oregon (8), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (8), Texas (20), Utah (37), Virginia (1), Washington (15), Wisconsin (9), and Wyoming (4).

So far, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 31% of these victims have been hospitalized, and three deaths have been reported from Arizona (1), California (1) and Texas (1).

Bill Marler, food safety attorney representing William Levy, has already been contacted by over a dozen victims affected by this outbreak. This is the seventh lawsuit Marler has filed against Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce Inc.

Salmonella is the second most common foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 1.4 million cases of Salmonella occur each year with 95% of those caused by tainted food. The acute symptoms of Salmonella include the sudden onset of nausea, abdominal cramping, and bloody diarrhea and mucous over a period of days. While there is no cure, infected persons usually recover completely, although it may take months. A small number of people experience ongoing symptoms such as joint pain, which can lead to chronic arthritis.

Marler has been an advocate for victims of foodborne illnesses since representing those made sickest by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 traced back to fast food giant, Jack in the Box. He has since represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks, and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Marler Clark attorneys have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants. The firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against companies such as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.