Family Suing Farm Over E.Coli
They Claim Daughter Got There

(Editor's note: "Ecotourism" is becoming a hot topic for some ranchers eager to diversify their operations. It is seen as a natural progression from hunting leases through hunt hosting, and then on to — or beyond — the bed and bath or "dude ranch" concept. If offers considerable promise for those who have the "people skills" to deal with the public, but it is not without its risks. These folks back east just learned of a new one.)

NORRISTOWN, Pa. —(AP)— A New Jersey couple has filed suit against the Merrymead Farm in Worcester and the Montgomery County Health Department over an E. coli outbreak they say put their daughter in the hospital.

The unnamed parents of the four year-old Palmyra, N.J. girl filed suit last Thursday over the illness she suffered after an Oct. 15 visit to the farm, where she petted cows and other animals, family attorney David E. Sternberg said.

Five days later, the girl was hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of the E. coli infection that caused both of her kidneys to fail, causing her to be placed on kidney dialysis, Sternberg said.

``It was real close there for a while,'' he said.

The girl was discharged Tuesday but is still on medication and her kidneys have not returned to full use, he said.

Lisa Packer, a spokeswoman for the farm owners, declined comment on the suit because the family has not seen it.

The county health department on Wednesday reported an additional case of E. coli infection linked to the Worcester farm, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 15, with more than 40 probable cases.

State authorities are investigating along with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The animals have been kept from public contact since Nov. 2.