Pizza Ranch is facing a $75,000 federal lawsuit filed by the family of a 7-year old Kansas girl who was hospitalized after she became ill with the E. coli bacteria after eating at the chain's Emporia, Kansas outlet.
The family filed the suit contending that Pizza Ranch failed to protect customers against the bacteria, according to an article in The Des Moines Register written by Tony Leys. The girl became ill a few days after she visited the restaurant on January 31, 2016, eating several items from the buffet, which include pizza, fried chicken, breadsticks, dessert pizza and salad.
According to the lawsuit, the girl's pediatrician ordered a stool sample from the girl which tested positive for a strain of E. coli bacteria that is considered particularly dangerous. The girl was severely ill and had to be hospitalized for 15 days where, at one point, her kidneys even failed prompting a transfer to an intensive care unit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has finally confirmed 9 of the 13 cases of people reported becoming ill after eating at a Pizza Ranch restaurant according to a CNBC article by Sarah Whitten. The recent E. Coli outbreak affected customers from Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota, New Jersey, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As a precautionary measure, Pizza Ranch discontinued the use its Skillet Dough and Original Dough due to the possibility that they might be a factor in the outbreak. Pizza Ranch chief administrative offer Ryan Achterhoff, said that the likely source of the bacteria is an ingredient supplier which could explain why several people in multiple states contracted the same strain of E. coli.
Achterhoff added that the restaurant made 40 independent tests on different products to detect the presence of the bacteria but none tested positive. In a statement, Acherhoff said, "We provided public health investigators with a list of all of our ingredients, as well as contact information for our ingredient suppliers. We also contacted the supplier of our dough mixes regarding this issue, with the request that they cooperate with state and federal health officials."
