A lawsuit was filed Thursday against the company that owns and operates a 4S Ranch restaurant recently linked to a number of confirmed or probable cases of E. coli.
County officials announced earlier this week that 13 such cases were linked to Miguel's Cocina, located on Craftsman Way.
The ill people or their families reported eating at the restaurant from Oct. 6-18 and had symptoms from Oct. 13-19. Seven of those cases led to hospitalization with at least one person developing the more severe complication of the infection called hemolytic uremic syndrome, according to a county statement.
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According to a complaint filed Thursday on behalf of a woman who was allegedly sickened after eating at the restaurant, at least 15 people have come down with symptoms, including a 14-year-old boy who is "fighting for his life."
The woman who filed Thursday's lawsuit ate at Miguel's on Oct. 12, the complaint states. She ate chips, rice, guacamole and drank iced tea, then a few days later began suffering from "extreme abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea, and noticed a significant amount of blood in her stool," leading her to seek medical treatment on Oct. 17.
Doctors later diagnosed her with Shiga toxin-producing E.coli, according to the complaint, which states she's since been discharged from the hospital but continues to experience some symptoms.
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Ron Simon, the plaintiff's attorney, said in a statement, "The very fact that the illnesses were contracted over a six-day period is disturbing. It indicates that the E. coli was present in the kitchen at Miguel's Cocina for a protracted period of time. We will use discovery in this litigation to identify what went wrong and to make sure this does not happen again."
According to county officials, the specific food items that were sources of the E. coli bacteria are under investigation and the restaurant is cooperating with the county. Restaurant management voluntarily decided to close the eatery Tuesday morning until the source can be identified, the county's Health and Human Services Agency said.
"People who visited the restaurant and are feeling ill should see their doctor as soon as possible," said county public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten. "We want them to get tested and have the results sent to the local health department. Those most at risk from infection are children, adults 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems."
County health officials said most people with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection start feeling sick three to four days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria, but illnesses can start anywhere from 1-10 days after exposure.
Symptoms vary from person-to-person and often include severe abdominal cramps, watery or bloody diarrhea and vomiting. While most people's conditions improve within five to seven days, infections can range in severity from mild to life threatening.
"The public is asked to contact your health care provider if you have experienced these symptoms on or after Oct. 6, and especially if you have diarrhea that lasts for more than three days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102 degrees, or blood in the stool, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and you pass very little urine," a county statement read.
