August 7, 1998,
Virginia Anderson
The last child still hospitalized from an E. coli outbreak at White Water park in June is scheduled to be discharged this morning from the hospital, Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center, a lawyer for her family said Thursday night. Jordan Shook, 4, of Cartersville, suffered a stroke and was on dialysis at the medical center for more than two weeks after she was hospitalized June 18.
She is expected to continue physical therapy after being discharged, said her lawyer, William Marler. "She still needs a lot of attention, a lot of help, but this is good news," said Marler, a Seattle lawyer who represented more than 200 families who filed a class-action lawsuit against Jack-in-the-Box restaurants after its hamburger meat was contaminated with E. coli in 1993. Judith and James Shook filed a lawsuit against White Water on behalf of their daughter July 30. State health officials say children were infected with E. coli after swimming in a White Water pool on June 11, 12, 17 and 18. One child, McCall Akin, died of complications from the infection.
Several other children, including Jordan, who were on dialysis for more than a week, are expected to have long-term kidney problems. Some could face kidney transplants.