Within days of becoming ill, the child was hospitalized with renal failure. He stopped breathing at one point, and was resuscitated; a CT scan showed that he had suffered intra-cranial bleeding and cerebral swelling. The boy died ten days after fist showing symptoms of E. coli infection.
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) investigated the child’s E. coli infection and illness, and through testing learned that leftover ground beef from hamburgers made with the IBP/Karl Ehmer ground beef was contaminated with E. coli. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) joined the investigation to determine where the contaminated meat had come from and determined that the meat used to make the ground beef purchased by the family was “shoulder clod” supplied to Karl Ehmer by IBP.
The law firm brought a wrongful death E. coli claim against Karl Ehmer and IBP on behalf of the boy’s family. The case was resolved for an undisclosed sum in 2003.
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