A Night Out Turned Deadly

 Posted on March 15,2019 in Food poisoning attorney

One of the most popular restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee is facing several million-dollar lawsuits after a salmonella outbreak struck roughly 20 of its patrons. It was early August, and many of the customers consumed eggs or egg-based dishes at a popular hotspot called Milk & Honey. The damages being alleged in the lawsuit are close to $6 million, and the authorities believe they have tracked infected eggs to one particular farm in Alabama.

Once food inspectors got involved, it was discovered that even though the farm produced infected eggs, the restaurant was also at fault. It was discovered that the restaurant was not cooking their dishes correctly, specifically a gnocchi dish. At the end of the day, the restaurant was blamed for poor training. They apparently were cooking the dishes 10 degrees lower than the industry standard for safe food preparation.

The disturbing events described above highlight how much the public relies and trusts the restaurant industry to safely prepare food for us. Upon further reflection, think about how many times during the week we rely on chefs at restaurants to safely prepare food. On a weekly, if not daily basis, we put our lives in the hands of complete strangers. With this trust comes a great responsibility on the part of farms and restaurants. $6 million dollars may sound like a ludicrous sum for a week of discomfort, but the compensation should be great when compared to the level of trust and responsibility inherent in the customer-restaurant relationship.

Symptoms of Salmonella

According to most medical experts the symptoms of salmonella include bloody stools, stomach cramps, chills/cold, queasy stomach, vomiting, fever, headache, and diarrhea. In the vast majority of cases, the symptoms (and the illness in general) subsides in a week or so, but they warn that normal bowel movements could take up to a couple of months to get back to normal. Dehydration is a big issue for those infected, as the body is losing fluids at an abnormal rate. Water and drinks like Pedialyte or Gatorade are highly recommended. If Salmonella bacteria gets into the bloodstream, it could be deadly. If the symptoms persist longer than a week, you should seek treatment from a doctor immediately.

Legal Issues

If you believe that you have been infected with Salmonella from a meal purchased at a restaurant or infected turkey meat, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the vendor. For many adults, simply taking a "week off life" is nigh impossible. Children must be taken to school, employers must be notified, bills must be paid. Missing a week of any of those things can throw many families into turmoil. Newland & Newland, LLP is here to help. Contact our office for a free phone consultation. As demonstrated with our neighbors in Nashville, even a small outbreak could mean costly liability for the restaurant, grocery store, or farm. Do not suffer without adequate compensation.We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas.

(image courtesy of Jakub Kapusnak)