Reston, VA Food Poisoning Lawyer
Any knowledgeable Reston, VA food poisoning lawyer will tell you that each year, about one in six Americans become sick from foodborne illnesses. Of these people about, 3,000 will die and 128,000 will be hospitalized. Americans often file lawsuits after becoming ill from restaurant meals.
Can you sue for food poisoning?
In theory, yes ,you can sue for food poisoning. Who you sue can involved a large number of people and companies. These sources may include food producing companies, food distributors, restaurants, food trucking companies or anyone else who is involved in handling your food. Companies are reliable for maintaining a safe environment and eliminating dangers of food poisoning. According to a Reston, VA food poisoning lawyer, some large food poisoning cases that have won in the past include:
- The 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli victims who included 4 children who were killed.
- The 2005 man who got Hepatitis from a Chi-Chi’s restaurant.
- The 1998 Odwalla Inc. case where the company ended up paying $15 million to five families affected by the E. coli outbreak.
Understanding food poisoning
When you eat out, you don’t expect to have a terrible night and get extremely ill from food poisoning. Additionally when you go to the supermarket, you don’t expect to contract an illness from your chicken or your eggs. This being said however these things do happen because not all places handle food perfectly and responsibly. A Reston, VA food poisoning lawyer may inform you that there are many food poisoning outbreaks yearly related to diners, fast food restaurants, food vendors, and other food-related businesses.
Some common foodborne illnesses in restaurants are:
- Botulism
- Norovirus
- Listeria
- E. Coli
- Hepatitis
- Shigella
These illnesses occur when bacteria enters the food and is passed on through different dishes that people consume. This bacteria can be a result from:
- Food being shipped from suppliers that are contaminated
- Improper care of food such as washing, storage, food handling, or food preparation
- Employees not washing their hands regularly or not following all food safety guidelines
- Sick employees may pass on diseases by preparing or serving food (such as hepatitis)
- Food and hygiene guidelines might not be followed relating to the cleaning of food preparation surfaces
- Employees may not be properly trained
- Food may not be heated to the proper temperature
- Food storage areas may have rats or other pests that could spread diseases
According to a trusted Reston, VA food poisoning lawyer, these scenarios are often preventable meaning you will likely have a court case since the other party is negligent for not following proper procedure or guidelines.
Case action lawsuits
These lawsuits are related to cases of foodborne illness that harms dozens or event of hundred of people. If these cases are filed you can join these actions at a limited cost. These cases typically have significant evidence and proof to prove their case. All it takes to join one of these cases is to prove you became ill during a certain time period after eating a specific food or at a specific place.
If you or a family member suffered an illness after dining out, don’t hesitate to contact the attorneys at Cohen & Cohen in to determine whether you have a claim and to insure that you get the compensation you deserve after suffering from a foodborne illness. Call us today to speak to a Reston, VA food poisoning lawyer on our team.
