Ron Simon & Associates Files First Salmonella Lawsuit Against Tarheel Q

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Jun 26, 2015, 03:10 ET

LEXINGTON, N.C., June 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with local counsel Janet, Jenner & Suggs, filed a lawsuit stemming from salmonella-contaminated food served by the Tarheel Q located in North Carolina on U.S. 64 West in Lexington.

A copy of the lawsuit is attached.

The lawsuit was filed against the restaurant in Davidson County, North Carolina, on behalf of Greensboro resident Vanessa Rohrl.

Vanessa Rohrl consumed a BBQ sandwich from Tarheel Q on June 15, 2015 and thereafter began to experience vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headaches, fever, and chills. Vanessa, who was on a camping trip, was forced to call an ambulance, which transported her from the Forrest Lake Campground to Lexington Hospital's Emergency Room. After receiving treatment and stabilization, she returned home.

When her symptoms did not resolve, she was forced to seek additional treatment with a local physician who diagnosed her with salmonella poisoning from Tarheel Q restaurant.

Vanessa is still recovering from her illness.

Health department investigators subsequently interviewed Vanessa, along with other Tarheel Q victims, and linked her to the Tarheel Q salmonella outbreak

Tarheel Q – 127 Victims and Counting

Contaminated food served at Tarheel Q has now been linked to at least 127 illnesses. So far, at least 7 have been hospitalized. The victims purchased food from Tarheel Q between June 6^th and 21^st.

Tarheel Q's owner, Trey Payne, has been cited several times in recent years for failing to keep foods at the proper temperatures. The restaurant is now closed, and likely will reopen on Monday. Investigators are still trying to determine how the salmonella was introduced into the food at Tarheel Q.

Attorney Ron Simon Issues Statement for Victims, Sets up Salmonella Claim Center

Lead attorney Ron Simon, who represents Vanessa Rohrl and a number of other Tarheel Q victims, issued the following statement today: "Given its past behavior of improperly reheating BBQ meats for use day-to-day, and being cited for failing to keep food at the proper temperatures on several occasions, this is a wake-up call for Tarheel Q and other restaurants. Through this lawsuit, we will work to ensure that these safety failures do not happen again."

Mr. Simon and his law firm have established a Tarheel Q Salmonella Claim Center to assist victims in the outbreak. The Claims Center can be reached toll-free at 1-888-335-4901.

About Ron Simon

Over the last 20 years, Ron Simon and his colleagues have prosecuted thousands of food poisoning cases for victims across the United States. His work has resulted in numerous upgrades to food safety procedures in Fortune 500 companies and in legislation designed to protect consumers from dangerous food-borne pathogens.

Mr. Simon and his clients have been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and virtually all other major television networks and print media. Mr. Simon has collected over $600,000,000 for his clients. He regularly publishes articles about food safety and litigation at www.foodpoisoningnews.com which are read by viewers in over 180 countries.

Through litigation, media commentary, and his food poisoning publications, Mr. Simon relentlessly challenges food manufacturers, distributors, and restaurants to do a better job in making our food safe.

For media inquiries or more information on the Tarheel Q salmonella outbreak and ongoing litigation, please contact Ron Simon directly at (713) 819-8116 or [email protected].

PDF - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/ENR/Ron-Simon-Tarheel-Q-062615.pdf

SOURCE Ron Simon & Associates