A Michigan girl went to Wendy’s in 2022 and got permanent brain damage. She was only 11 years old then, so no, there wasn’t a brawl or reckless behavior. She merely got a hamburger, chicken nuggets, and fries at the fast food establishment, which later allegedly had tragic results.
Aspen Lamfer had this mean on August 1, 2022, at a Wendy’s in Jenison and later came down with what was later determined to be an E. Coli infection. Lamfer was a victim of the 2022 E. Coli outbreak despite not reportedly eating any lettuce. Officials later determined that the lax safety practices and health conditions at this location got her sick (via Fox News):
A Michigan girl has allegedly suffered permanent brain damage and a slew of other medical injuries after eating a contaminated Wendy's meal from a Jenison franchise location.
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Days prior, a shipment of romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli was shipped to various Wendy's locations across the Midwest, including the location in Jenison. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traced 109 E. coli infections in six states — 67 in Michigan — from the contaminated lettuce shipment.
On July 27, 2022 — days before Aspen ordered her Biggie Bag meal — Ottawa County Health Department (OCHD) officials visited the Jenison Wendy's and conducted an inspection that resulted in 17 health code violations at the franchise location, according to the lawsuit. The store closed temporarily to address the violations and clean the restaurant.
On Aug. 4, 2022, Aspen, who did not eat any lettuce in her meal, fell ill with nausea, abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea. Her mother took her to urgent care two days later when the 11-year-old's symptoms started getting worse. Medical professionals at Holland Hospital determined Aspen was suffering from a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection.
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"There's a misconception as far as the incubation period for this kind of bacteria," Worsfold [Thomas Worsfold, Lamfer family attorney] explained. "It's important to know that [Aspen's infection] was a particular part of this outbreak. Hers was included … by the CDC as part of this E. coli outbreak. Even though she didn't eat the lettuce, she still got sick because of the unsanitary [conditions] and blatant disregard for basic safety practices at this restaurant."
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The violations cited between July 27 and Aug. 11 included moldy and spoiled food, dirty cooking tools and utensils, diluted sanitizer, dirty non-contact food surfaces, undated produce and generally dirty premises.
Officials also noted an employee who touched their face and dirty surfaces in the establishment without washing their hands before working, employees who did not change gloves, an employee who went straight to sanitizing dishes before rinsing them, blood from ground beef dripped across a clean food surface, an un-stocked hand-washing station near the drive-thru window and multiple other violations.
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The Lamfer family is now suing the franchise owner for $20 million.
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