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If you became seriously ill after eating contaminated food, you will need the expertise of a Washington, DC food poisoning lawyer at Regan Zambri Long to help you receive compensation for your illness. A product liability lawsuit for food contamination is incredibly complex and requires a lawyer with experience in this area of law. Foodborne illnesses can range from a simple stomachache to permanent damage to your nerves or your brain. A food poisoning lawyer can find those responsible for your illness and make sure you receive compensation. Contact our personal injury attorneys today to schedule a free consultation.
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Hundreds of different kinds of bacteria may contaminate foods; while some are benign, you can contract serious infections like hepatitis A and E. coli from food. In some cases, there are no treatments for these foodborne illnesses. Worse, it is often difficult to identify the source of food poisoning without extensive testing. An item may pass through the hands of many different companies on the supply chain, including those based overseas.
The food poisoning lawyers at Regan Zambri Long have a reputation for success with food poisoning claims. We have represented clients who contracted hepatitis A, listeria, salmonella, and other illnesses after ingesting contaminated food. In some of these cases, we tracked the source of the contamination to countries in Europe and Africa and have brought claims under the Geneva Convention.
If you became seriously ill or lost a loved one due to contaminated products, then contact a food poisoning attorney from our law firm for a free consultation. We have the resources and experience necessary to resolve these kinds of product liability lawsuits.
If you develop a severe illness from food poisoning, you may be able to sue those responsible. However, these types of personal injury cases are complex. In most severe food poisoning cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will track an outbreak of a particular illness. This involves testing each affected person to determine whether the strain of the virus or bacteria is similar to others. Then, after studying enough cases, the CDC will conclude the contamination’s source. This may be a particular batch of a certain product or food served at a specific restaurant.
Once the CDC concludes its investigation, it may issue a recall or a warning to the public. However, the CDC takes no action for victims and their families; you must file a civil claim to recover compensation. A food poisoning lawyer can use the information from the CDC’s inquiries to find the party or parties responsible for the contamination. Often, these investigations are extensive since several companies may be involved in the supply chain of any given item.
Usually, negligence and/or unsanitary conditions during the production, packaging, or preservation process cause food contamination. Once your Washington, DC personal injury lawyer determines where the contaminated food originated and how it reached you, then you may be able to file a lawsuit against multiple parties. Depending on the circumstances, claims may be brought against the manufacturer, distributor, supplier, and/or dealer. Due to the complexity involved in food poisoning claims, you should consult an experienced lawyer about your rights if you are diagnosed with a foodborne illness.
Filing a foodborne illness lawsuit can be challenging. Even if you think you have the liable party, they can claim the issue was not with them but with another entity responsible for the product’s growing, manufacturing, or handling.
You must connect with a food poisoning lawyer to win a foodborne illness or food poisoning lawsuit. In many cases, strict liability will be applied to your food poisoning claim, which means you may not have to prove how the food became contaminated but that the food item was defective and caused your injuries.
However, your case is more likely to be successful if you can prove what occurred. For example, if you developed salmonella and knew the chicken you ate last night at a restaurant seemed undercooked, you may already have the timeline established that something went wrong.
Your legal team can also help with this by reviewing your official diagnosis. Then, if it is suspected that your case is part of a larger outbreak, you may be tested to determine the markers of the illness. This can be used to build a larger claim.
Or, if it is suspected a sick employee was handling the meal, and you and others got sick as a result, your lawyer may be able to launch an internal investigation of the establishment.
With Regan Zambri Long, we will work tirelessly to get to the bottom of your food poisoning claim.
To have a successful food poisoning claim, your food safety lawyer must establish the following:
Proving fault is challenging and requires medical experts and scientific backing to show what went wrong. Regan Zambri Long can help you build a strong legal case.
A wide variety of viruses, bacteria, and parasites may contaminate food and cause illness. Thus, the type and duration of your food poisoning symptoms can vary greatly. In some cases, signs of food poisoning may take weeks to develop.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 48 million people become ill from food poisoning each year, resulting in 128,000 people being hospitalized and 3,000 people dying. There are over 250 foodborne illnesses identified.
Common foodborne illnesses our food poisoning lawyers handle include:
Norovirus is a very contagious virus. Symptoms usually develop between 12 and 48 hours after exposure and include diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. As a result, norovirus may cause severe dehydration.
The virus can spread quickly from person to person and through contaminated foods and surfaces. Most people recover within a few days and have no long-term health effects.
A common food poisoning illness, salmonella typically lives in the intestinal tract of animals. Symptoms usually begin anywhere from six hours to six days after the infection. Symptoms include severe diarrhea, fever, and cramps.
The illness can last from four to seven days; sometimes, hospitalization is necessary, and death may result.
A common and highly contagious food poisoning illness, Escherichia coli infection varies from person to person. Common symptoms include diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, a low fever, and vomiting. People infected with E. coli will begin feeling symptoms within four days after eating or drinking contaminated food.
Sometimes, an infection may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which affects the kidneys and can be fatal.
Botulism is a potentially fatal illness produces a toxin that attacks your body’s nerves. It can be life-threatening and may cause permanent damage to the nerves, muscles, and brain. Early symptoms include muscle weakness in the face, eyes, mouth, and throat.
According to the World Health Organization, botulinum toxins can block nerve functions, leading to respiratory and muscular paralysis.
According to the CDC, approximately 1,600 people get listeriosis each year with around 260 people dying of the bacteria. Listeria can cause widespread infection with symptoms that may include flu-like symptoms, stiff neck, confusion, as well as coordination problems, and convulsions.
Listeria is especially dangerous in pregnant women. The CDC states that infection during pregnancy can lead to a miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection in the newborn.
This virus affects the liver and can possibly cause acute liver failure. In some cases, a liver transplant is necessary. According to WHO, those at risk of hepatitis A are those who do not have access to clean water.
People can get Campylobacter infection by eating or eating something that had touched raw or undercooked poultry. These bacteria typically cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. If the infection spreads into the bloodstream, then life-threatening conditions may develop.
Symptoms usually begin within five days after ingesting Campylobacter and last approximately one week.
According to the CDC, approximately 25 percent of people and animals have Staph on their skin and in their noses. If someone carrying staph doesn’t wash their hands before touching food, the bacteria will begin to multiply and the food will become contaminated.
Symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea usually develop in as little as 30 minutes after exposure. The illness will last no longer than a day.
Toxoplasmosis is caused by one of the world’s most common parasites, the Toxoplasma parasite. Infection occurs when you eat undercooked meat and is considered to be the leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S.
Usually undiagnosed, toxoplasmosis (caused by parasites) can have severe complications for those with weakened immune systems and women who are pregnant. Symptoms include “flu-like” symptoms that could last for weeks or months. According to the CDC, if a woman is infected while pregnant, the mother could miscarry or have a stillborn child.
Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and cramps that begin one to two days after exposure. Foods that are consumed raw are more likely to be contaminated with the shigella bacteria. Most outbreaks can be traced back to food that was prepared by sick food workers.
Several parties may be liable for your DC food poisoning claim.
If you were served contaminated food at a private person’s home and then became seriously ill, making a legal case against them may be hard unless they knowingly served the contaminated food to you.
If you or a loved one suffered severe illness after contracting a foodborne illness, the food poisoning attorneys of Regan Zambri Long are here for you. Our lawyers hold the negligent parties accountable by:
After a serious or even life-threatening illness, you want to move forward, but when the financial obstacles leave you feeling like you can’t, trust in Regan Zambri Long. For more than 25 years, our personal injury attorneys in DC have represented victims in their toughest battles. Let us help you.
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay nothing upfront for legal representation and instead pay out a percentage of your award. If a law firm is paid hourly, you may want to reconsider as this can be a sign they are not confident in your lawsuit succeeding.
At Regan Zambri Long, we stand by our track record of success, which is why we don’t get paid unless we win.
To protect your foodborne illness lawsuit, you must act quickly. In Washington, DC, injury victims have a three-year statute of limitations to file a legal claim against the at-fault party. However, if your claim is against a government entity, you must act quickly, as the three-year statute does not apply.
Claims against the government are complex and often require the support of a DC personal injury attorney. They must be filed properly and efficiently, or victims will lose their right to financial compensation.
Depending on the type of food poisoning you are suffering from, most food poisoning cases last 12 to 48 hours. The more severe the illness is, such as E. Coli or Listeria, the symptoms may take longer and could last a few days.
If the restaurant was negligent in preparing your food, you can sue them for food poisoning. But you will need to show that negligence caused your foodborne illness. This can become tricky because you will need evidence that the restaurant or one of its employees had acted negligently and caused you to become ill.
This is why it’s important to speak to our food poisoning lawyers. We can speak to eyewitnesses and, if available, recover any video footage from the restaurant that will show when and how the negligence occurred.
If you can show that contaminated food caused food poisoning, you could be compensated for the following:
The Washington, DC, food poisoning lawyers at Regan Zambri Long have extensive experience with injury claims. We have represented personal injury cases of national significance. With decades of experience, an impressive track record, and multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements, our injury lawyers have the knowledge, resources, and expertise to handle your food poisoning lawsuit.
Our attorneys can investigate the circumstances of your injuries and take the steps needed to identify all liable parties. We will represent your best interests in a personal injury lawsuit and fight for your right to compensation. Call (202) 960-4596 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.
