Food Borne Diseases Can Cause Serious Personal Injuries

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 12 cases of the E. coli food poisoning has surfaced in five states from raw sprouts of the national sandwich chain Jimmy Johns. Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys learned that despite Jimmy John’s having local restaurants in our community and  the state of Florida is not among the states reported  by the CDC, however this outbreak comes one year after raw alfalfa sprouts from one the chain’s suppliers was linked to 140 cases of salmonella illnesses.

The Associated Press is reporting that federal regulators issued an alert to the public warning them about the potential in acquiring food borne illnesses by eating all raw sprouts. Moreover, representatives of Jimmy John have declined to comment about this most recent outbreak, but have issued prior statements that the company would switch from alfalfa sprouts to using clover statements. Furthermore, although sprouts are believed to be good for healthy eating, they must have warm and humid conditions in order to grow. As a result, they can become very dangerous to the public to consume due to bacterial growth under the required weather conditions.  Also, the government recommends that the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with weak immune systems not eat raw sprouts at all.

Apparently there has been three sprout outbreaks potentially linked to the chain which resulted in lawsuits being filed. It is usual for consumer complaints involving food borne pathogens to be settled outside of the courtroom and in which any compensation paid to those who were injured caused by these products to be held confidential.  Nonetheless, since there are 40 different microbial pathogens which are commonly known to cause human illness, it is possible for a person develop a serious injury. Among these are fungi, parasites and bacteria and can often be discovered in food products such as eggs, lettuce and bean sprouts.  If you or a loved one has sustained a serious illness, or death, you should contact our Fort Lauderdaleproduct liability lawyers to discuss your case.

Moreover it is familiar understanding that food handling errors are a major cause of the serious injuries and death among those who have experienced a food borne disease. Food can become contaminated due to employees not following the appropriate storage procedures or mishandling of food and their cooking utensils. While a substantial number of cases of food borne diseases can be traced to commercial or institutional establishments, it is often that these companies will attempt to shift fault to the consumer by claiming that it was the consumer who failed to properly handle their products. Nevertheless, it is a company’s responsibility to know about the potential risks of pathogens in their food and to take precautionary methods to prevent people from being harmed by their product.

It is important to contact our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers shortly after you have discovered that contaminated food was the cause of you or a family member’s personal injury or death. These types of cases are very complex and require thorough investigation of the facts. An attorney can assist you with identifying the entity that should be ultimately being held responsible for causing you injury. It is possible that you could have a legal claim and be awarded damages for your injuries.