Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Throws Up the Question: Can You Recover Damages for Food Poisoning?

As you may have read, Chipotle Mexican Grill, the popular national chain, has been battered over the last six months by multiple incidents of customers being poisoned by E. coli bacterium and norovirus after eating their food.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of food-borne diseases every year.

Whether it’s from a fast-food burrito, a gourmet meal, or produce from a grocery store, food poisoning or food-borne illnesses can cause everything from discomfort to gastrointestinal distress to serious long-term health problems. You may incur medical bills, lose wages from being off work, and suffer other consequences after you’ve been sickened by a restaurant or other meal.

If the restaurant, store, or food distributor responsible for making you sick was negligent, failed to have proper health and safety controls, or otherwise failed to use reasonable care to prevent food-borne illnesses, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries and losses.

If you believe you may have been sickened by a food-borne illness, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. It is also important to speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Recovering damages for food poisoning can be challenging; you must prove not only that the defendant was negligent, but even more fundamentally, that the source of your illness was from the defendant’s food. The longer you wait to seek medical care or retain an attorney, the more difficult that can become.

Additionally, there may be more than one party responsible for making you sick. The restaurant that served you, the company that delivered and supplied the food to the restaurant, the food processing company, and any other company or individuals in the chain of distribution may bear responsibility for the contaminated food. A good personal injury lawyer, working with foodborne illness experts when appropriate, can identify the responsible parties and hold them accountable.

The Parian Law Firm: Metro Atlanta Food Poisoning Law Firm

If you or a loved one have suffered from a case of food-poisoning, please give the experienced metro Atlanta food poisoning lawyers at The Parian Law Firm a call. We represent injury victims exclusively and are committed to getting justice and compensation for our clients. Please contact us at (770) 727-5550 or chat live online with a member of our staff today.