Ask any experienced food poisoning lawyer Alexandria VA has to offer, and you’ll probably find out that food poisoning is more common than you think. Statistics from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that at least 48 million cases of food poisoning occur each year, and that’s only measuring cases in the United States.
Many cases of food poisoning are minor, and might even be the fault of the person who fell ill. As a seasoned food poisoning lawyer Alexandria VA trusts might explain, it’s not always possible to when or how someone fell ill from a foodborne pathogen. In other cases, it’s easy to see how a small mistake led to a great deal of pain and suffering. Here are just a few simple steps to reduce your risk of sustaining food poisoning:
>1. When traveling to a foreign country, take extra care when consuming local food items, and even when drinking tap water. Food poisoning in the U.S. often occurs when a meal is undercooked, left outside for too long, stored improperly, or prepared with equipment that isn’t fully sanitized. However, a food poisoning lawyer in Alexandria VA would likely know that food poisoning can also occur when an individual has not been exposed to a certain type of bacteria or virus before. Local residents may have built up immunity to specific foodborne bacteria, but visitors are less likely to have the same immune system strength.
2. Keep your refrigerator and freezer at a proper temperature. Don’t put your health at risk in the name of energy savings. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that you keep refrigerator temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit in order to store meat safely.
However, if your power goes out during a storm and your refrigerated food to turn bad, you might be able to file a claim under your homeowners’ insurance policy to replace the food. If your fridge malfunctions due to poor design or manufacturing, the company responsible for this flaw might be held liable. These types of personal injury cases can be tricky, however, and it’s important to speak with a trusted food poisoning lawyer Alexandria VA can provide before taking legal action.
3. Be careful about where you purchase your seafood, even if it’s already cooked and prepared. Seafood – and shellfish in particular – can carry an amalgam of harmful bacteria and viruses. Healthy organisms living in contaminated water might not show any signs of disease themselves, but could cause illness if they are ingested. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to determine which restaurants and fast food venues are cooking seafood properly, so if you have any suspicions, you might want to err on the side of caution.
Contact a Food Poisoning Lawyer Alexandria VA Residents Depend On
If you believe that you might have a case for personal injury caused by a foodborne illness, contact an Alexandria VA food poisoning lawyer today. These types of injury cases can be incredibly complex, but it may be possible to collect financial compensation for your injuries if another party was responsible for your illness.
To speak with a local food poisoning lawyer Alexandria VA respects about your own case, contact our firm today.
