Food is an important part of life. You get to enjoy it with family and friends. When you travel, you get a taste of local flavors through food. However, consider the risk of food poisoning and allergic reactions when trying food for the first time. You may discover allergies you do not know you have. Food poisoning is dangerous as well.
You can suffer from food poisoning from contaminated food or beverage. If your food poisoning is from the mishandling of food products, you can ask the help of a food poisoning attorney.
Food Poisoning Lawsuits And Their Outcome
An example of a food poisoning lawsuit was from a group of office workers in Connecticut who got ill from mishandling lunch. The culprit was a well-known restaurant. The 12 office workers who filed the lawsuit won the case. They were given approximately $30,000 each as settlement.
Additionally, food poisoning can be lethal. For example, one died, and 31 other people got food poisoning from mishandled food prepared by a chef. The chef got a four-month jail sentence and a year of suspension from the incident.
What Is Food Poisoning?
According to Mayo Clinic, food poisoning is an illness you can get from contaminated food. Microorganisms like bacteria and viruses and their toxins can cause food poisoning. Some of the symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. Additionally, you may feel abdominal cramps when you get food poisoning. You can suffer from these symptoms for days. The best step to take when you experience these symptoms is to seek medical help.
You can get food poisoning from contaminated food. It means you can get it from the food you prepared. Alternatively, you can get this foodborne illness from food served by a restaurant. However, some other contamination may occur aside from the preparation of the food. For example, the transport of food can cause contamination.
Types Of Food Poisoning
There are hundreds of types of food poisoning. Some of the common types of food poisoning include E. Coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Norovirus.
There are many types of E. coli. Many of these types are harmless. The kind of E. coli that causes food poisoning is Escherichia coli. E. coli that cause food poisoning may come from contaminated cattle, sheep, or goats. You can get this type of food poisoning from contaminated dairy. Usually, contamination occurs during the slaughter process.
Additionally, you can get food poisoning from salmonella. You can get salmonella from contaminated poultry meat and eggs. However, beef and pork can also attain salmonella contamination. Mishandling of these meats mainly causes contamination.
Moreover, you are at risk for food poisoning from listeria if you have a weak immune system. People at risk of this type of food poisoning are infants, older people, and immunocompromised individuals. This microorganism can come from contaminated soil and water. You can get it from uncooked food.
Furthermore, you can get norovirus from the stool and vomit of infected people. You can get this infection from infected restaurant workers.
Poorly sanitized cooking areas can spread this illness. It is not usually lethal.
You can recover from it in a few days. However, you can ask for legal assistance. You can claim for damages if it is the fault of a restaurant or producer. You can see more here for any legal concerns.
Legal Implications, Liabilities, and Damages From Food Poisoning
When it is the fault of a food preparation firm or restaurant, you can file a food poisoning lawsuit. Some of the damages you can claim include compensation for medical costs and income lost.
Food poisoning lawsuits are under the classification of legal product liability claims. The concept of the lawsuit lies in the quality of the product sold to you. The main issue behind this claim is the impact of the mishandling on your health.
There are some criteria you need to know. It will help you decide if you can ask for legal help from food poisoning. For example, you can file a food poisoning lawsuit if the contamination occurred before delivery to the restaurant.
Additionally, improper storage and poor temperature control can be a good cause of a food poisoning lawsuit.
Also, insufficient cooking can be a good claim for a food poisoning lawsuit. The cooking procedure may not be appropriate to kill the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
You have an advantage when you file a food poisoning lawsuit. The strict liability law relieves you of the burden to employ tiring efforts to prove contamination. All you have to do is provide evidence of contamination of the food you ate. Also, you have to prove that it was the cause of your trip to the doctor or a hospital. You can show documentation like doctor diagnoses and prescribed medicines to support your claim.
