A lawsuit was filed today against Los Burritos Mexicanos in Lombard, Ill., on behalf of a woman who fell ill with E. coli O157:H7 after eating at the restaurant. According to a complaint filed in DuPage County Circuit Court, Elizabeth Bernardi ate at the restaurant on June 6, 2013 and fell ill with symptoms of E. coli infection on June 9. Bernardi alleges that on June 11 she sought medical treatment for bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps and vomiting. Bernardi’s attorneys claim that she was hospitalized for 5 days due to infection with E. coli O157:H7 and that she continues to receive medical care as a result of her illness. “I never knew how devastating the effects of E. coli were, on the person afflicted and their family members, until I fell sick with it. The symptoms were beyond severe and just would not stop, continuing to get worse until I could not get up off my bathroom floor,” Bernardi said. Bernardi is represented by attorney Gary Newland the Chicago-area law firm Newland & Newland, as well as food safety law firm Marler Clark, which underwrites Food Safety News. The DuPage County Health Department suspects 17 people likely fell ill with E. coli after eating at the restaurant, which was closed last Friday as part of the outbreak investigation. Including Bernardi, six people were hospitalized, but have all since been discharged.
