Food Poisoning Lawsuit

Every year 76 million Americans fall victim to food poisoning and other food borne illnesses. About 300,000 people become so seriously ill that they require hospitalization. Even worse, food related illnesses kill 5,000 Americans each year. Child are especially at risk because of their young and still-developing immune systems. A serious contaminated food illness could be devastating upon a youngster's body.

In most cases of food poisoning, the course of the illness is a period of acute distress and symptoms such as abdominal cramps, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Vomiting and diarrhea are the body's emergency measures to rid itself of the toxic agent. Sometimes the acute stage is a matter of a few hours, but it may continue for days, with increasingly severe symptoms. As the body evacuates toxic agent, symptoms gradually decrease.

If you suspect that your child has become a victim of food poisoning, then you should seek medical care as soon as possible, to determine the type and severity of your illness and the proper steps to take. A prompt medical evaluation and response may make the difference between an unpleasant episode and a life-threatening illness.

More than half of all food borne illnesses result from failure to follow standard practices for cooking and storing foods. Other causes include poor hygiene by food handlers, including failure to follow the most basic rule of food hygiene, thorough washing of hands before handling food. Both of these causes, which cover the overwhelming majority of food poisoning cases, reflect negligence and failure to adhere to basic industry standards.

If your child has been seriously injured by food borne illness, and have reason to believe it was caused by negligence or failure to follow safe food handling procedures, then a personal injury claim to recover the family's harms and losses may exist.

In serious food poisoning cases, you want to discuss your situation with a dedicated injury attorney (and parent) for a prompt and confidential review. It is important to follow up as soon as possible after your illness, while evidence is still available and access to witnesses and other parties involved is easiest.