When we have a meal at home or dine out, we don’t usually think about how the food was manufactured, packaged, stored, or prepared. We assume it’s safe to eat. Our St. Petersburg food poisoning lawyers at Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys know that sometimes, tainted food makes its way into stores and restaurants and can make consumers very ill.
There are many types of food poisoning, and some are more dangerous than others. If you suspect you’ve been made ill by food poisoning in St. Petersburg, FL, our personal injury attorneys can talk to you about your case and what your legal rights may be.
Food manufacturers, processors, and restaurants that prepare the food have a duty to protect consumers against foodborne illnesses. To find out more, contact us at (727) 933 0015 to schedule a free, no-risk consultation.
What Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys Can Do for You if You’ve Suffered From Food Poisoning in St. Petersburg
It’s difficult to protect ourselves against food poisoning. While the food we eat appears to be safe, the viruses, bacteria, and parasites that cause food poisoning can’t be seen by the human eye.
Proving your illness was caused by food poisoning isn’t easy. Sometimes, it can take days before your symptoms appear after eating food that’s gone bad. Our St. Petersburg product liability lawyers have the experience to track down the source of your illness.
When we take on a St. Petersburg, Florida, food poisoning case, we thoroughly prepare by:
- Scrutinizing your medical records and talking to your doctors to identify what made you ill
- Working with experts to help us identify the source of the food that made you sick
- Determining whether the food manufacturer or restaurant followed state and federal safety regulations
- Calculating your damages with precision
We’re also relentless settlement negotiators. When we go to the negotiation table with the at-fault party or their insurance company, we’re well-prepared with the facts and law. If they refuse to offer you a fair settlement, we won’t hesitate to take them to court and tell your story to a jury.
What Is Food Poisoning and How Do You Get It?
Broadly speaking, food poisoning is any foodborne illness caused by germs or harmful microbes in food and drinks. It’s a common illness that afflicts 48 million people in the U.S. each year. In some cases, hospitalization is required to treat it, and in a small fraction of cases, it can lead to death.
There are several types of germs that cause food poisoning:
- Staph food poisoning, which comes from foods that aren’t cooked properly
- Campylobacter, which can come from raw or undercooked poultry
- Botulism, a serious and sometimes deadly foodborne illness that attacks the nervous system
- Salmonella, which hides in raw meats, eggs, fruits, and vegetables
- Vibrio, which can be found in raw oysters
Depending on the germ causing it, symptoms of food poisoning can begin anywhere from minutes to days after ingesting the affected food. Common symptoms shared among most forms of food poisoning include cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, and other fever and flu-like symptoms.
Treatment for St. Petersburg food poisoning also varies. In mild cases, people with food poisoning may recover on their own by replacing lost fluids to avoid dehydration. However, more severe cases may cause long-term health problems such as kidney damage, arthritis, and brain damage.
Who Is Responsible if I Get Food Poisoning in St. Petersburg, FL?
Any establishment that prepares, processes, or otherwise handles food products owes a duty of care to protect consumers against unreasonable risk of injury. If they breach that duty, victims who become sick may have a product liability claim against them.
Under Florida’s product liability law, proving your case can be difficult. However, there are various theories you might be able to pursue, not all of which require you to establish negligence (carelessness).
Potential parties who may be liable for your food poisoning illness include the following:
- Restaurant owners and staff
- Food manufacturers
- Food distribution companies
- Retail grocery stores
Identifying who exactly was responsible for your foodborne illness is challenging because your symptoms take time to appear. In the meantime, you may have eaten at several different restaurants or purchased food from different stores.
Pinpointing the source of the contaminated food takes considerable investigation and an understanding of how foodborne illnesses work. Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys have the skill, experience, and persistence needed to get to the bottom of what made you sick. To learn more, give us a call so we can get right to work on investigating your case.
Get a Free Case Assessment From a St. Petersburg Food Poisoning Lawyer
Illness-causing germs are everywhere, even in the things we eat. You usually can’t detect them just by looking at the food, and it may take days before they make you sick.
If you’ve suffered a serious foodborne illness due to the negligent storage or preparation of food, you may be experiencing a range of excruciating symptoms. It could require hospitalization if it’s severe enough.
Florida law protects victims afflicted by food poisoning by restaurants, grocery stores, and food manufacturers. Proving liability in a St. Petersburg food poisoning claim is challenging. Reach out to Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys so we can get to the bottom of what made you ill and who is responsible.
Your initial consultation with one of our trusted St. Petersburg food poisoning attorneys is free of charge.
