According to local reports, the eldest person to fall ill in the Miguel’s Cocina Salmonella outbreak has died. This follows reports that the second eldest, an 84 year-old woman represented by Ron Simon & Associates, the national salmonella law firm that has filed all the lawsuits in this litigation so far, has finally been released from the hospital. Unfortunately, on the day of her release, her long-time husband also passed away. So far, several dozen victims have come forward, according to the Miguel’s Cocina E. Coli Lawyer Ron Simon, adding “my office is still receiving calls every day from Miguel Cocina victims. We represent more than two dozen victims so far, and expect that number to grow. People who consume food at a restaurant have the right to expect that food to be safe and wholesome. Obviously, it was not.”
At least one of the victims has raised a further concern: “Why is the restaurant open for business? If they know the food from Miguel’s Cocina made so many of us sick, and they have not yet determinate what food item was contaminated, it seems to me foolhardy to allow it to reopen.” Simon agreed, in part, but added “very often the actual original source is not identified because the pathogen has run its course by the time the investigation is started. We run into that situation on a routine basis. Identifying the source is also difficult because often the restaurant’s poor food handling practices, and poor personal hygiene practices, leads to cross contamination, which is highly likely in this outbreak.”
According to Simon, local San Diego news stations are getting ready to report on the first wrongful death in this outbreak, having already reported on the pending lawsuits brought by Ron Simon & Associates. Simon noted, when asked about the passing of the 87 year-old victim, “E. coli, as a pathogen, is one of the most dangerous pathogens in the U.S. every year among the food borne pathogens. More than 100 E. coli victims die each year, on average. Unfortunately, in the Miguel’s Cocina outbreak, this has turned out to be true.”
Simon added: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased, and our hope is they find consolation in the memories they created over may years.”
Note: Simon is also the lawyer for the deceased in the recent Dave’s Sushi outbreak in Montana as well. His food poisoning firm filed the Dave’s Sushi lawsuit in July of this year.
