Joe Belgio, a Marine Veteran and firefighter, will remain confined to his bed for the rest of his life. The 44-year-old’s hearty seafood meal at a Chicago steakhouse on June 30, 2025, reportedly caused him permanent brain injuries from consuming oysters that were allegedly contaminated, per the People.
Belgio was comatose for months after eating allegedly contaminated shellfish
Belgio joined his family for a meal in late June at an outlet of the Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Oak Brook. However, the Cicero resident became extremely ill in early July. Attorney Scott O’Sullivan said that Belgio suffered cardiac arrest and lost consciousness and oxygen for “at least eight minutes” before the Fire Department, which he once worked for, revived him, per ABC 7 Chicago. O’Sullivan noted that the 44-year-old will probably remain “bedridden for the rest of his life.”
Belgio was comatose for several months following the incident and has remained hospitalized since. The veteran shares a daughter with her fiancée, Melanie Stayer, who was five months old at the time the family went to Gibsons to celebrate.
Steakhouse sued after patron left permanently bedridden
Attorneys representing Belgio have filed a lawsuit against the steakhouse claiming that the 44-year-old suffered “permanent brain injuries after becoming ill” following his meal at the establishment, per the media outlet. The lawsuit alleges that medical professionals examined Belgio for bacteria and identified multiple pathogens that lawyers believe are associated with shellfish contamination.
The lawsuit claims that Belgio was infected with Enteropathogenic E. coli, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Vibrio cholerae after he consumed raw shellfish at the restaurant. The suit, which seeks $50,000 in damages from the establishment, also argues that the 44-year-old did not eat any other raw oysters or shellfish between his meal at Gibsons and his hospitalization, per the outlet…