The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that around 76 million people are affected by food poisoning every single year in the US. The big problem is that food poisoning is not just something simple, like an upset stomach. There are over 5,000 people that actually die because of it every year, with over 325,000 being hospitalized.
When you were affected by food poisoning and you want to determine if legal recourses are available for you, it is important to contact a personal injury law firm in Washington, DC, one with high experience in such cases. This is because there might be legal recourse available for you. However, this does depend on illness particulars and what evidence can be gathered.
Investigators basically need to trace food back and analyze locations like farms, ranches, food processing plants, distributors, packaging facilities, and slaughterhouses. This is done to determine if some safety practices were not respected, like improper storage. If this is discovered, you might be able to file a claim against a retail establishment or a restaurant.
The most common food poisoning forms are:
- Botulism – This disease paralyzes your muscle and can lead to death. The Clostridium botulinum bacteria is the toxic that causes it through swallowing, inhalation, or even absorption through the skin.
- Campylobacter – This is the most common bacterial illness cause in the world. It usually happens as you consume undercooked chicken. In most cases, it is treatable with fluid intake and water.
- Salmonella – The common symptoms are cramps, fever, and diarrhea. It will invade your bloodstream and can cause some serious infections. In rare cases, it can even lead to the development of Reiter’s syndrome, which might develop into a case of chronic arthritis.
- coli – This is commonly found in cattle and transmitted when consuming contaminated food. The common symptoms are cramps and diarrhea. Infection can lead to death and kidney failure.
- Listeria – This is not so common but it is very deadly. Statistics show us that 25% of those infected die. Also, Listeria can live inside the human body for 2 months before the illness is caused.
When you know someone that was affected or you had food poisoning, try to get in touch with an experienced personal injury attorney capable of assisting you through your options. Also, the free consultation that is offered will be very useful since it will tell you if you actually have the grounds to file the lawsuit you think about or not.
While personal injury claims are possible when you suffered food poisoning because of the negligence of several other potential parties, we have to understand that this does not automatically mean your situation warrants such an option. In some cases, nothing could have been done and the food poisoning was just an unfortunate event. However, whenever it was someone else’s fault, you have the right and you should pursue legal actions against those that were guilty.
Never file personal injury claims without the help of experienced attorneys though since it will be very complicated for you to prove what happened due to your lack of legal knowledge.
