Posted on November 24, 2018 in Food poisoning attorney

The outbreak of the Salmonella Reading strain has infected 164 people in 35 states as of November 5, 2018. The outbreak has affected people of all ages, from infants of not even a year old to 91-year-olds, of which 56% are female. Out of the known 135 infected people, 63 have been admitted to the hospital and one has been reported dead in California. If you are experiencing an illness caused by food poisoning, contact a food poisoning lawyer to find out if your injuries are eligible for compensation.

Local and state departments are trying to figure out the cause by questioning the affected people about the food they consumed in the week prior to their illness. 44 (52%) out of 85 people questioned have reported that they were either preparing or consuming turkey bought raw, which includes turkey pieces, ground, and whole turkey. The turkey products were bought from different stores and were of different brands. Three out of these 85 people got infected post the consumption of turkey by their pets as raw ground turkey was found in their pet food. The other three people were working in a place that processes turkey or were living with someone who works at a turkey processing facility.

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 Posted on November 15, 2018 in Food poisoning attorney

Recently, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 92 people across 29 states have fallen ill due to consumption of raw chicken supposedly infected by Salmonella. While 21 people have been hospitalized, no one has died. The salmonella is resistant to numerous antibiotics typically used to treat such infections.

“The outbreak strain of Salmonella was found in live chickens and in many types of raw chicken products, indicating it might be widespread in the chicken industry,” said the CDC.

The CDC can not advise people on specific precautionary steps to avoid the contaminated chicken products because no common supplier has been found. Proper hand washing and thorough cooking of all chicken products are the best precautions as of now.

The symptoms of those infected with salmonella include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.

How are Food Poisoning Lawsuits Handled?

In Illinois, strict product liability, breach of warranty, and negligence laws can be used for food poisoning claims.

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 Posted on November 11, 2018 in Salmonella

A recent Salmonella outbreak has touched the lives of many individuals across the the United States. As of October 4, 2018, 27 people across 16 states had been infected by the illness. Six more states - Oklahoma, Texas, Hawaii, Kansas, New Mexico, and Washington - have reported cases of the illness since then, with the number of impacted individuals rising to 120 as of October 23, 2018.

Fortunately, there has not been any loss of life even though 33 people have been hospitalized. The outbreak began in early August, 2018 and the average age of people who have fallen ill is reportedly 42; 59% of affected individuals are male.

As part of the investigation, state and local health departments officials interviewed ill people about their food intake and exposure in the days preceding the illness. Out of 71, 66 individuals (93%) reported eating ground beef at home as per the interview.

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 Posted on October 29, 2018 in Salmonella

A woman filed the first lawsuit against Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches after she developed a Salmonella Montevideo infection after consuming the sprouts within her sandwich. The woman alleges she had purchased the #12 Beach Club Sandwich on December 18, 2017 and experienced severe discomfort soon after its consumption.

On January 8, 2018, the plaintiff sought medical attention, where the lab tests returned as positive for Salmonella Montevideo. Later, she went though unique stages of the infection. She was repeatedly given antibiotics to treat different problems, but she did not recuperate from the severe contamination. She started experiencing nausea, painful diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Later, she even started to develop hemorrhoids along with a urinary tract infection.

On January 19, 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections from Jimmy John's raw sprouts. CDC further announced 10 confirmed cases across Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin where the woman who brought the lawsuit was one of the 10 confirmed cases. Symptoms of Salmonella may include headache, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, chills, fever, nausea, and dehydration.

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 Posted on October 25, 2018 in Food poisoning attorney

A Cyclospora outbreak caused by contaminated salads served at McDonald's appears to be over after affecting 551 people. Salads supplied by Fresh Express and sold at McDonald's across the Midwest were the likely source of this outbreak that led to 24 people being hospitalized. The distribution of affected persons by state is:

• Connecticut (1)
• Florida (1)
• Iowa (99)
• Illinois (274)
• Indiana (10)
• Kentucky (9)
• Michigan (2)
• Minnesota (11)
• Missouri (52)
• Nebraska (5)
• New York City (1)
• Ohio (16)
• South Dakota (18)
• Tennessee (1)
• Wisconsin (10)

The patients in Connecticut, Florida, New York City, Tennessee, and Virginia had purchased salads in one of the Midwest states. A food safety attorney, Fred Pritzker, said, “Producers and processors are going to have to do a better job sourcing ingredients to make sure these parasitic outbreaks end. It's inexcusable that someone would be sick for months just because they bought a salad from a fast food restaurant.” Fred Pritzker has represented many clients in cyclospora lawsuits. McDonald's halted the sale of salads in 3000 outlets across 14 states in mid-July.

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 Posted on October 12, 2018 in Food poisoning attorney

Being exposed to a foodborne pathogen can have serious consequences, some of which many people are familiar with. Many people have suffered food poisoning and the gastrointestinal discomfort that comes along with it. Similarly, those with food allergies are likely all too familiar with the effects of being exposed to a food that is dangerous for them to eat. But while food poisoning and the side effects of food allergies may be somewhat familiar for a large number of people, death from food poisoning or a food allergy certainly is not.

Tragically, a person died after having an allergic reaction to an item served by the food chain Pret a Manger; the connection between the food and the death has recently been confirmed. The death is the second associated with the company.

Death After Allergic Reaction

According to a news report published in CNN, the customer died from an allergic reaction after eating a “super-veg rainbow flatbread.” The item contained a yogurt sauce that was labeled as dairy-free. However, testing of the product, which is manufactured by Coyo, confirmed that it did, in fact, contain a dairy protein.

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 Posted on August 08, 2018 in Food poisoning attorney

In early summer 2018, a Salmonella outbreak caused 77 people in nine states to become ill. An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked the outbreak to pre-cut melons distributed by Caito Foods, LLC of Indianapolis, Indiana. The melons were purchased in packages of pre-cut watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and fruit medley packages supplied to grocery stores in Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

When an individual suffers from food poisoning because of another party's negligence, the victim is entitled to pursue compensation for his or her damages through a food poisoning claim. Caito Foods, LLC recalled all packages that could have potentially contained the contaminated melons.

Who Suffered from Salmonellosis?

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 Posted on August 02, 2018 in Cyclospora

As of late July 2018, 286 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclospora infection from victims in 15 states have been linked to a cyclospora outbreak connected to McDonald's salads. Although no deaths have been reported in conjunction with this outbreak, at least 11 people have been hospitalized.

Cyclospora is a parasite that causes infections in human hosts. When an individual becomes ill after consuming food or a beverage contaminated with cyclospora and the consumption could have been prevented if another party had taken greater care to prevent it, the victim may be entitled to recover monetary compensation for his or her damages through a food poisoning claim.

How Cyclospora is Spread

Dangerous cyclospora bacteria is spread through contaminated food and water. Person-to-person transmission is unlikely because when the bacteria is passed from a victim's body through excretion, it is not infectious for about another week.

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 Posted on July 01, 2018 in Food Poisoning

Our team at Newland & Newland, LLP is proud to announce that we have been awarded the Better Business Bureau's Certificate of Accreditation. Our accreditation period began in June 2018 and will continue through May 2020. We plan to continue providing top notch legal services to our clients and continuing to be BBB certified for years to come.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) awards its Certificate of Accreditation to companies that exhibit its eight standards for trust. These are:

• Building trust;
• Being transparent;
• Advertising honestly;
• Telling the truth;
• Honoring promises;
• Being responsive;
• Embodying integrity; and
• Safeguarding privacy.

We were certified in recognition of our hard work in personal injury law, and real estate law.

Criteria for the Award

Although the BBB's eight standards for trust can seem fairly simple to achieve, each is comprised of numerous criteria a company must meet. For example, in order to meet the BBB's criteria for “advertising honestly,” a company must do the following:

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 Posted on June 12, 2018 in Food poisoning attorney

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 60 people in five states have fallen ill with salmonellosis, the illness linked to salmonella food poisoning. These 60 cases were directly linked to pre-cut melons that were available in packages of snackable melon slices as well as part of prepackaged fruit salads. The melon packages and fruit salads were largely supplied by food processor and distributor SpartanNash, but could also be found under the Caito Foods and Renaissance labels.

Victims in Illinois ranged in age from 23 to 87 years old. Illnesses linked to this outbreak have been recorded in Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.

Illness Linked to Pre-Cut Melons

Currently, the CDC is urging consumers not to purchase or consume precut melons from Walmart stores in Illinois and the other states where illnesses have been reported. As the investigation continues, the CDC may add other food retailers to its list to avoid. If you have the melons in your home, throw them away.

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