When you're badly injured, the last thing you want to think about is filling out paperwork, searching for an attorney, or trying to gather evidence. Yet, these steps are necessary if you want to collect the compensation you deserve due to someone else's negligence. The more you know about personal injury cases and hiring an attorney, the less stressful this time will be.
We've created this website to offer basic personal injury law advice for anyone who has been injured or who may become injured in the future. Keep in mind that if you've been injured in a car accident, due to medical neglect, or even by slipping in someone else's parking lot, your case qualifies a personal injury case — and thus you'll find our collection of articles relevant.
Americans eat food from the grocery store every day and don't usually expect the food to land them in the hospital. However, in some cases, food that should have been safe instead becomes contaminated. If this happens to you, a personal injury lawyer will be able to help you take legal action against the grocery store.
You Have a Right to Compensation
Regardless of the severity of the illness that was caused by your consumption of contaminated food, you may be able to recover damages. You might become ill for a few days or you may become so sick that you are forced to spend time in the hospital.
How to Pinpoint the Cause of Your Illness
Your illness could be the result of bacterial contamination, hazardous chemicals that have seeped into the food product, or parasites. You might not experience symptoms right away and you may begin to wonder what you ate that caused the symptoms that later arise and you may need to determine what illness you were suffering from. Common types of illnesses caused by food poisoning include:
- Botulism
- Listeriosis
- Mushroom poisoning
- Shigellosis
If you are able to determine exactly what made you sick, you may be able to pinpoint the exact item that might have made you sick. One of the grocery store products you purchased might have recently been recalled. In other cases, you may need to have the grocery store product you consumed tested by an expert. For example, if you became sick because of a contaminated piece of lettuce, you could have the head of lettuce tested for bacteria.
Product Liability
A business has the responsibility of selling safe products. Even if the business was not negligent, merely selling a product that is contaminated can be enough to be held responsible for the results of the contamination. Also, everyone involved in the chain of distribution can potentially be found liable.
Fortunately, a skilled personal injury attorney may be able to help you find out exactly who is responsible so you can then take legal action. If the food was recalled, the grocery store might issue instructions for customers to return the products to the store or dispose of them. However, this does not automatically shield a grocery store owner from liability. A skilled personal injury attorney may be able to negotiate a settlement and you may receive a check for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Contact a local personal injury lawyer to learn more about what to do if this happens to you.