A woman whose husband died after being infected with Listeria in a milkshake has filed a lawsuit against Frugals, a local burger chain restaurant where he purchased it in Tacoma, Washington.
The restaurant is located at 10727 Pacific Ave. S. in Tacoma, Washington, according to health officials. No other Frugals restaurants are believed to be affected.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that the same strain of Listeria made at least 6 people so sick they had to be hospitalized between February 27 and July 22, 2023.
All six people had health conditions that made their immune systems less able to fight disease, according to health officials. Tragically, 3 of the people who were hospitalized died of a severe infection.
Health officials tested the ice cream machines and found Listeria contamination, which they blamed on inadequate cleaning.
People who ate a milkshake from Frugals between May 29 and August 7 may have been infected with Listeria, a bacteria that can cause severe infections, pregnancy complications, or even death.
The risk of complications is highest for pregnant women, young children, elderly adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
Frugals said it stopped using the ice cream machine on August 8, but it can take up to 70 days for symptoms of a Listeria infection to appear. Those symptoms may include a fever, headache, muscle ache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, seizures, and more.
Health officials are urging people who ate a milkshake at Frugals and have symptoms of Listeria to contact their healthcare provider. Listeria infections can be treated with antibiotics.
Source: Listeria bacteria found in milkshakes sold at Frugals restaurant in Tacoma
Editor’s note: For more information on food poisoning outbreak lawsuits and your legal rights, please contact the nationally recognized food poisoning lawyers at Ron Simon & Associates. Ron Simon’s groundbreaking work on behalf of victims in recent national foodborne illness outbreaks has been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and virtually all other major television networks and print media.