Tampa Tribune writer Dave Nicholson has also chimed in on our lawsuit filed on behalf of Diana Walker, a Pinellas County woman who was hospitalized for 16 days due to complications from an E. coli 0157:H7 infection after a visit to the Florida Strawberry Festival.

As the Tampa Tribune reported, health officials say at least 30 people got seriously ill after they attended the Strawberry Festival, Florida State Fair or Central Florida Fair. Genetic testing linked at least 22 of those cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a life-threatening complication of the virulent 0157:H7 strain of E. coli, to animals at Ag-Venture Farm Shows. The Plant City company supplied animals to all three events.

As I said in the article:

``We named the Strawberry Festival as a plaintiff in this lawsuit because it is likely that Ag-Venture Farms will not have enough insurance to fully compensate victims of this outbreak.``

``Diana has not yet been able to return to work, and is being monitored for future complications of infection. Her time off work, and constant need for medical monitoring, has created a financial hardship she would not otherwise have faced."