Posted on May 02, 2019 in Food Poisoning

People in the Chicago area have recently been warned that there has been a salmonella outbreak at a grocery store in the Archer Heights neighborhood that has already infected six people. The people became sick after eating carnitas and other foods they purchased at the kitchen counter of the Supermercado Rivera according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Anyone who ate the food may have been exposed to the bacteria, and anyone who took the food home and froze it has been advised to discard the possible contaminated items. The food items in question are no longer available, and the store employees have been educated on proper food handling, as well as the dangers of improper handling techniques and storage.

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella infection is a bacterial disease that causes issues with the intestinal tract and is often spread through feces. People are most likely to become infected through water or food that has been contaminated with the bacteria. Although most people do not show symptoms, some people will develop a fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps within eight to 72 hours of being exposed. Most healthy people will recover within a few days without any professional medical treatment.

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 Posted on April 15, 2019 in Food Poisoning

Health is one of the most important things in life, and most of us do whatever we can to stay in good physical condition. The foods we consume play a large role in our physical health, and sometimes, food poisoning can happen if certain foods are not prepared properly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48 million people in America become sick from various types of food poisoning every year, and 128,000 of these cases result in hospitalization. Foodborne illnesses can be fatal, and anyone who prepares food should take the following steps to avoid the risk of infection:

• Wash hands and clean cooking surfaces: Germs on an individual’s hands can spread to countertops and utensils, so it is important to wash one’s hands before cooking. Also, fruits and vegetables should be washed to remove any residual dirt or germs.

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 Posted on March 23, 2019 in Food poisoning attorney

For some people, nut butters can be a matter of life and death simply due to food allergies. These allergies can cause extreme reaction such as shortness of breath, swelling, and in severe cases, even death. In recent months, there has been an entirely different reason why some people are avoiding these creamy spreads. Several nut butters on the market have been recalled due to the possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

Because these products have a long shelf life, there is a good possibility that you may have one of these products sitting on your pantry shelf right now. Listeria contamination in products that are ready to eat can cause serious illness and food poisoning because the consumer does not heat them to kill the pathogens before consuming.

What is Listeria Monocytogenes?

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 Posted on March 16, 2019 in Food Poisoning

An elderly patient was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. What he did not know was that he also had a dormant form of Hepatitis B. While that may not seem like a big deal, it became a huge problem. Before beginning chemotherapy treatments, the patient should have been administered an antiviral medication to treat the Hepatitis. Failure to do so could result in the chemotherapy activating the dormant virus.

In this situation, that is exactly what happened. The patient was issued the chemotherapy without the antiviral treatment and the patient ultimately died from acute liver failure due to the Hepatitis B becoming active. The patient's family filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the medical facility and the case was resolved within six months of the case being filed.

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 Posted on March 15, 2019 in Food poisoning attorney

One of the most popular restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee is facing several million-dollar lawsuits after a salmonella outbreak struck roughly 20 of its patrons. It was early August, and many of the customers consumed eggs or egg-based dishes at a popular hotspot called Milk & Honey. The damages being alleged in the lawsuit are close to $6 million, and the authorities believe they have tracked infected eggs to one particular farm in Alabama.

Once food inspectors got involved, it was discovered that even though the farm produced infected eggs, the restaurant was also at fault. It was discovered that the restaurant was not cooking their dishes correctly, specifically a gnocchi dish. At the end of the day, the restaurant was blamed for poor training. They apparently were cooking the dishes 10 degrees lower than the industry standard for safe food preparation.

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 Posted on March 11, 2019 in Food Poisoning

You Got Food Poisoning. Now What?
From romaine lettuce to ground turkey, a number of foods can cause food-borne illnesses. While some cases of food poisoning are fairly mild, others may result in extreme sickness and even death. However, no matter the severity, you shouldn't just “excuse” a food poisoning instance.
“What's most important, is that people who get food poisoning should know they are entitled to compensation,” states Gary Newland, an injury attorney and partner at Newland & Newland Law. “The reality is, you were poisoned. A food poisoning case is a product liability case. A restaurant or a preparer of food is held to strict liability, because this is such a serious, serious thing. The government says they are strictly liable for the damage they cause an injured person.”

First Things First
Before considering the legality of the issue, Newland advises individuals to take safety actions as soon as they suspect they might be ill. “Anyone who suspects they have food poisoning should go to a hospital immediately,” he notes. “The other important process to follow is to contact the health department. The reason it's important to contact the health department is because you can save lives.”
Individuals who are otherwise healthy may be able to tolerate the sickness—or even fend it off—but those with compromised immune systems could be at risk for a devastating impact. These groups include children, senior citizens, and anyone with a chronic medical condition.
If the health department determines the sickness was caused by a specific product, they will ensure that product is taken off the market to prevent further exposure.

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 Posted on March 08, 2019 in Food poisoning attorney

Regulators from the Food and Drug Administration say they have been unable to identify the source of contamination in a food poisoning outbreak that resulted in people being told to avoid romaine lettuce last fall. They studied a water reservoir at a Santa Barbara County farm in California that was contaminated with E. coli. However, the contaminated reservoir does not explain how other farms growing lettuce were also contaminated.

In addition, the short shelf-life of the leafy green makes it even more difficult to perform investigations in these types of outbreaks. Although food safety in leafy greens has been a long-standing issue, the industry continues to search for ways to minimize the risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that when eating raw produce there is always a risk of being contaminated with a foodborne illness.

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 Posted on January 27, 2019 in Food poisoning attorney

Food poisoning has become a common danger that can affect any person at anytime. While many people attribute a bout of food poisoning to mere bad luck, in most cases, the food poisoning is a result of someone else's negligence. For this reason, a food poisoning victim can file a personal injury lawsuit to receive much-needed compensation. Food poisoning not only affects your health, but it also drains you financially and professionally. You will be responsible for hospital bills, you will lose wages for time off work, and in rare cases, a victim may even succumb to death. When any of these damages are incurred, an experienced Illinois food poisoning attorney can help.

Getting the Proper Evidence is Essential

The chances of winning a food poisoning lawsuit are high if the number of people affected is large. Regardless of the number of victims, filing a lawsuit requires evidence of the at-fault party's negligence. A food poisoning lawyer can help you further investigate whether others were affected at the same restaurant you patronized, for example, to help build your case.

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 Posted on January 21, 2019 in Salmonella

According to the Center for Disease Control an outbreak of salmonella has spread across the United States. NBC news reports that this particular strand of salmonella bacteria has shown itself to be resistant to the typical antibiotics that are used to treat such infections. So far 92 people have been infected across multiple states, although only 21 people were ill enough to be hospitalized.

The Centers for Disease Control observed a peculiar strand in live chickens as well as raw poultry meat. However, no specific store or source has been singled out as spreading the foul chicken meat to the public at large. Thus, public health resources have been unable to direct consumers away from the contaminants.

Disease Management

Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, cramps, fever, chills, headache, loss of appetite, and blood in the stool. If the blood in stool is observed, you must seek medical care immediately. Most adults get over Salmonella poisoning in four to seven days, but if the typical symptoms do not subside after a week, you should consider seeing a doctor. Staying hydrated is key when you are infected with salmonella poisoning as your body will be regurgitating most of its fluids. If after a day you can not even keep water down, you must seek medical help immediately.

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 Posted on January 20, 2019 in Food poisoning attorney

Food-borne disease could be caused by multiple factors including contamination of food by a pathogen, parasite, or toxins. According to a report, there are close to 76 million food poisoning cases reported in U.S. alone every year, and the cause for each case is difficult to pin down to one source. Food poisoning can have severe impact on a victim's health, and it can even be fatal. The victim of such an illness can rightfully file a lawsuit to get the compensation he or she needs to be made whole again.

Winning a Food Poisoning Lawsuit

It can be difficult to prove that you have incurred an illness from eating a particular food item. A defendant, such as a food seller or a food processor can claim that the food was contaminated after it was served to you, or even that the food was not contaminated at all. You will need to prove that the food was contaminated before it was served to you, which might require the testimony of witnesses and experts in medicine, microbiology, or food safety. Getting help from an experienced food poisoning lawyer can make the difference between receiving compensation for your injuries and receiving nothing at all.

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