Outbreaks
Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant E. coli Outbreak
An October, 2008 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Snohomish County, Washington was traced by the Snohomish County Health Department (SCHD) to the Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant in Lake Stevens, WA. Ultimately it was determined that sixty-four people were sickened in the outbreak - four were hospitalized and one suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe complication of E. coli infection.Investigations by the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) and the SCHD found poor food safety practices in use at the restaurant - bare hands were used on tortillas and chips, sanitizer was misused or not used at all, and towels and cutting boards appeared to have raw meat cross contamination.
Marler Clark represents 24 victims of the outbreak. On October 22, Marler Clark filed suit on behalf of a 9-year old girl. The firm has since filed 6 more E. coli lawsuits on behalf of sickened patrons, and a multi-party lawsuit on behalf of seventeen victims of the outbreak.
