Florida mom ‘lucky to be alive' after miscarrying due to raw milk consumption, she says in lawsuit

Independent

3 days ago

A woman is suing a Florida dairy farm after alleging that coming into contact with bacteria from its raw, unpasteurized milk caused her to suffer a miscarriage.
Rachel Maddox filed a lawsuit in Seminole County on Wednesday against Keely Farms Dairy of New Smyrna Beach, the same business that was last week tied to at least 21 cases of E. coli and Campylobacter bacteria sickness by state health officials, according to Orlando's News 6.
Of the 21 people taken ill, six were children under 10 and seven were hospitalized, at least two of whom have suffered severe complications, the officials say.
'I became very ill and I mean the sickest I've ever been in my life,' Maddox told News 6. 'I came really close to dying and our [unborn] son did die. The doctors told me that I was lucky to be alive.'
Her lawsuit also names the organic food store at which she bought the raw milk in June.
Maddox claims she was unaware of the potential dangers associated with drinking the milk and was allegedly told, when she asked a clerk about a label that 'said something to the effect [of] 'for consumption by animals,'' that it was only 'a technical requirement to sell 'farm milk.''
She told News 6 that she had bought the product on several occasions for other family members, including her toddler, in recent months, but never drank it herself.
Then, on June 8, her child fell ill and suffered 'diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, chills, and resultant dehydration,' resulting in the first of three hospital visits that month.
On June 13, the pregnant Maddox became sick herself and, in turn, sought medical treatment for 'ongoing diarrhea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and chills that led to septic shock and severe dehydration,' according to the lawsuit.
Tests duly revealed that she had contracted Campylobacter, a bacterium she believes she came into contact with while caring for her child.
'I contracted the bacteria from cleaning up the diarrhea and vomiting,' Maddox said. 'As a mom, you get a lot of stuff on you when your kid is sick, and I became ill by contracting the bacteria that way.'
On June 18, her 20-week-old foetus died, and she was readmitted to hospital with sepsis, the beginning of a long and challenging recovery period.
She is now seeking a jury trial and damages for the mental and physical injuries she has incurred, the lawsuit states.
Keely Farms has so far declined to comment beyond saying that its milk is sold as animal feed and is not intended for human consumption.
However, it has posted positive laboratory testing for its produce on Facebook and written in a subsequent post: 'The Florida Department of Agriculture inspects AND approves all raw milk labels. They mandate what the labels say on them. You cannot make changes to your label without approval. They come check to make sure you are actually using the approved label.
'Some basics that are required on your state approved label include the statement 'Not for Human Consumption,' what animal it should be fed to, your farm name and complete address, nutritional info if animal feed...
'You cannot display raw milk as if for human consumption. (It cannot be next to pasteurized milk etc). You must have warnings and signage. The department does 'market checks' to be sure their rules are being followed.'