On Monday, June 29, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that a sample of refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough contained E. Coli bacteria.

The concern of E. Coli bacteria in the cookie dough was first announced on June 19, 2009. At that time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned customers to not purchase or eat the pre-packaged dough.

After collecting a sample at the Nestle factory in Virginia, the FDA confirmed E. Coli bacteria was present.

Nestle said the products involved in the recall included all varieties of Nestle Toll House refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub, Cookie Dough Tube, Limited Edition Cookie Dough items, Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough.

It is hard to measure the number of people affected by the bacteria since many people may not attribute symptoms of diarrhea or dehydration to the cookie dough. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is trying to determine how many individuals have been affected.

As of last Thursday, the CDC reported that 69 people in 29 states had been infected with a strain of E. Coli. Thirty-four people have been hospitalized.

Nestle’s U.S. baking division has voluntarily recalled the refrigerated cookie dough until further tests can be taken to ensure the safety of the product.

We are fighting… for the safety and security of you and your family. Making cruise lines, other commercial facilities, and products safer and more secure, one case at a time.

Call us today. All consultations are free and strictly confidential. TOLL FREE: 1.800.215.7117. See our website for information on what to do in the event of an accident involving serious injuries or death: www.hickeylawfirm.com. See also www.cruiseshipassault.com. The bottom line is get medical care immediately, take photos of the area where you were injured, get the names and contact information of witnesses, and report the accident at once. Also, CALL HICKEY LAW FIRM, P.A., TOLL FREE AT: 1.800.215.7117. Our consultations are always free. We work on a contingency fee basis; If we don’t recover, you don’t pay. Personal injury, wrongful death, sexual assaults, and medical malpractice. We have handled these types of claims for 28 years.

Primary Sources:
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre55t0ty-us-nestle-recall-cookiedough/
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre55i3ig-us-nestle/

Carnival Cruise Line passenger Michelle Vilborg disappeared from the Carnival Holiday around midnight on June 16, 2009. The five day cruise to the Yucatan Peninsula ended after only the first night for Michelle Vilborg who supposedly fell overboard. The cruise was intended as a celebration of Michelle’s 50th birthday as well as to commemorate 30 years with her husband, Swede Vilborg.

In an interview with Swede Vilborg, he recalls Michelle was going to get into the shower just as he was going to sleep.

“I’m laying in the bed, I can hear the water turn on, and I dozed off,“ Vilborg said.

Only about 45 minutes later, Swede Vilborg awoke, realized Michelle was gone, and immediately expected foul play. Mr. Vilborg firmly believes that Michelle’s disappearance has no connection to a suicide attempt or an accidental fall overboard.

Vilborg’s disappearance marks at least the third time in less than a month that a passenger went overboard from a Carnival ship based on the Gulf Coast.

Soon after Michelle Vilborg was reported missing, the Coast Guard began searching approximately 75 miles off Pensacola, FL in the Gulf of Mexico. After searching an area the size of Delaware for two days, the Coast Guard called off the search. Michelle Vilborg has not yet been found.

If you or someone you know has had an accident aboard a cruise ship, call Hickey Law Firm, P.A. Hickey Law Firm, P.A. is headed up by John H. (Jack) Hickey. Hickey was born and raised in the cruise line capital of the world, Miami, Florida. For the first 17 years of his career, Hickey represented the cruise lines and insurance companies. Now he represents you, the seriously injured, the family of a loved one who has died as a result of someone else’s negligence, the victim of a sexual assault, or the victim of medical malpractice.

Call us today. All consultations are free and strictly confidential. TOLL FREE: 1.800.215.7117. See our website for information on what to do in the event of an injury on a cruise ship: www.hickeylawfirm.com. See also www.cruiseshipassault.com. The bottom line is get medical care immediately, take photos of the area where you were injured, get the names and contact information of witnesses, and report the accident or incident at once. Also, CALL HICKEY LAW FIRM, P.A., TOLL FREE AT: 1.800.215.7117. Our consultations are always free. We work on a contingency fee basis; if we don’t recover, you don’t pay. Personal injury, wrongful death, sexual assaults, and medical malpractice. This all happens on cruise ships and we have handled these types of claims for 28 years.

Primary Sources:

http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/national/article/coast_guard_searches_gulf_waters_for_missing_cruise_ship_passenger/33337/
http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/national/article/alabama_woman_mysteriously_disappears_from_carnival_cruise_ship/37224/

On February 23, 2009, a bus full of passengers from Celebrity Cruise Lines “Celebrity Summit” crashed in Roseau, Dominica. The passengers were returning to the ship after participating in the “Caribbean Cooking Adventure” shore excursion, in which they joined local culinary experts to learn how to prepare and present traditional Caribbean dishes. The three-and-a-half hour tour was supposed to conclude with a scenic drive through Roseau before returning to the pier. However, at approximately 4:00 PM local time, the bus lost control and was driven into a ditch.

All of the passengers on the bus were American tourists. Fourteen of the passengers were flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida for treatment. Three of those passengers are being represented by the nationally recognized maritime trial attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey.

Celebrity Cruise Lines promoted, sold, vouched for, and recommended the Cooking Caribbean Adventure excursion on Roseau, Dominica. The cruise excursion on which the accident occurred was part and parcel of the cruise and the cruise experience. Celebrity represents to the public that Celebrity would provide and maintain excursions which are safe, with conditions that are safe and suitable for their passengers, and which are coordinated with tour programs with reputable tour operators and equipment, and Celebrity makes these representations and voluntarily undertakes to assume this responsibility in order to induce its passengers to sign up and pay for Celebrity’s tours.

If you or someone you know has been injured in this accident or a similar accident, please call Hickey Law Firm, P.A. for a free consultation at 1.800.215.7117.

See our website for information on what to do in the event of an accident involving serious injuries or death: www.hickeylawfirm.com. The bottom line is get medical care immediately, take photos of the area where you were injured, get the names and contact information of witnesses, and report the accident at once. Also, CALL HICKEY LAW FIRM, P.A., TOLL FREE AT: 1.800.215.7117. Our consultations are always free. We work on a contingency fee basis; If we don’t recover, you don’t pay. Personal injury, wrongful death, sexual assaults, and medical malpractice. We have handled these types of claims for 29 years.