KPAX Channel 8 Missoula & Western Montana | Sean Wells | Jul 25, 2024
KALISPELL — We're following up on the E. coli outbreak in Flathead County that has left one person dead and at least 12 others infected.
The Flathead City-County Health Department (FCCHD) and Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) are investigating the outbreak with preliminary investigations showing ground beef as the potential source.
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Public health officials told MTN News that the investigation is ongoing and the names of the beef distributor and restaurants where the beef was sold will not be released at this time.
Renowned food safety lawyer Bill Marler represented families sickened from ground beef linked E. coli during the historic 1993 Jack-in-the-Box outbreak, which left nearly 700 people sick and caused the death of four children.
Marler says those infected through this E. coli outbreak have a right to seek compensation.
“Both from the restaurant for under-cooking but from my perspective also from the meat supplier and the slaughterhouse that put the contaminated food into the marketplace, in 2024 after you know 30-plus years, post Jack-in-the-Box, that shouldn’t happen,” said Marler.
Marler said full transparency between public health officials investigating the ground beef E. coli outbreak and the Flathead community is key as the investigation continues.
“The only reason that we have ill people at those restaurants with E. coli O157 from hamburger is that those hamburgers were not cooked properly,” said Marler.
“If you cook it to the standards that every state you know follows, which is 155 degrees, that kills E. coli, and so it’s a little odd that they haven’t named the restaurants, it’s frankly really bothersome that they haven’t named the supplier.”
Marler and his firm Marler-Clark have represented thousands of food poisoning victims over the last three decades.
He said cases linked to ground beef E. coli outbreaks are usually under-reported in the community, as symptoms vary from person to person.
“Every one person counted, there’s usually about 5-10 other people that go uncounted,” added Marler.
Jossolyn Becker with the Flathead City-County Health Department said the ground beef linked to E. coli has been removed with no threat of further contamination in the community.
She said the last known date of consumption of the product was on July 14.
"Any of the lot that was affected by this beef distributor has been isolated and it is no longer a concern at this point," said Becker.
In a joint response to MTN News FCCHD and DPHHS - released the following:
"The investigation is ongoing and at this point in time we are unable to provide the name of the distributor or the names of the restaurants. We are planning to release a joint statement with DPHHS tomorrow to provide the most updated information available regarding this outbreak."