Girl Files Suit Over E. Coli Infection 14-Year-Old From Olympia Seeks Unspecified Damages In 1992 Incident

A 14-year-old girl who survived an E. coli infection after eating a tainted Jack In The Box hamburger in 1992 has sued for damages.

Andrea Strange of Olympia, who became sick in November of 1992, may have been the first person in Washington to become infected from a supply of contaminated meat, said her Seattle lawyer, Ralph Brindley.

Two months later, hundreds of residents throughout the state became ill from the E. coli bacteria. The source was traced to undercooked hamburger meat served at Jack In The Box restaurants.

Strange’s lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, names Foodmaker Inc., the fast food chain’s parent company; The Vons Companies Inc., a San Diego-based meat supplier; and Lana Elliot, manager of the Jack In The Box in Olympia.

The amount of damages will be determined at trial, scheduled for April next year. The suit, filed Monday by James A. Degel, the appointed legal guardian of the teen’s estate, also allows the girl to sue others in connection with the case.

“What’s really important to me is providing some protection for her future because her whole life has been affected by somebody … serving her an undercooked hamburger,” said Andrea’s mother, Cheryl Strange.

According to the suit, Foodmaker, Vons and Elliot were negligent by failing to properly inspect, treat and prepare for manufacture hamburgers that were free from E. coli bacterial contamination.

The girl had bloody diarrhea and severe abdominal pain the night after eating the hamburger, Brindley said. She was also dehydrated, lethargic and confused.

She was hospitalized and later battled complications because she had contracted Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a potentially fatal kidney disease resulting from the infection, Brindley said.

“She seems OK right now. But the constant fear that we live with is about the future, because what’s known about the disease is that you never know,” said Cheryl Strange. “How will her kidneys and her heart be functioning in five, 10, 20 years?”

In all, three children died and more than 90 lawsuits - including a class-action suit - were filed against Foodmaker in connection with the 1993 outbreak.

The company settled all the lawsuits without going to court, said Karen Bachmann, Foodmaker’s vice president for communications.

The company has adopted new safety control policies since the outbreak, Bachmann said.

In May 1992, a new state law took effect, requiring hamburgers be cooked to 155 degrees. Cooking even E. coli-tainted meat at that temperature would kill the infection, officials said.