Queens Food Poisoning Lawyer Explains Your Rights
Food poisoning is not a pleasant experience. Whether you ate bad food or drank contaminated water, food poisoning can come upon you unexpectedly. If you get food poisoning in New York, you may want to contact a Queens food poisoning lawyer to understand your rights.
What is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning, also known as foodborne illness, is an illness that you get from eating contaminated food. The food will either have infectious organisms or toxins that will make you sick. Some of the infectious organisms include viruses, parasites, and bacteria. Food poisoning is no joke, and it can lead to some seriously uncomfortable symptoms.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that about 48 million people get foodborne diseases each year in the U.S. If you have food poisoning and want to take legal action in Queens, New York, you should contact a Queens food poisoning lawyer.
Symptoms
The symptoms of food poisoning are not pleasant. They include, but are not limited to:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Headache
- Muscle weakness
Treatment for Food Poisoning
Many cases of food poisoning will resolve themselves within a few days without requiring additional medication. However, there are some things you can do to help and do if you have a more severe case. Remember, if your cases are unmanageable and very severe, call your doctor to see what your next course of action should be.
Replace Lost Fluids
It is important to drink lots of water and consume more electrolytes to replace the ones you are losing from diarrhea and vomiting. Drink something with a lot of electrolytes, like Gatorade, and consume water to make up for the lost fluids and to keep your body strong.
Take Antibiotics
Antibiotics should only be taken if they are prescribed by your doctor. They will be prescribed if you have a certain kind of food poisoning or if your symptoms are very severe. Be careful not to take antibiotics without speaking with your doctor first; some antibiotics can worsen your symptoms and prolong your recovery.
Who’s at Risk
Anyone can contract food poisoning, but some groups are more at risk than others and may have worse symptoms. The following are the groups that are more at risk when it comes to food poisoning because they have weaker immune systems:
- Elderly
- Infants & young kids
- People with chronic diseases
- Pregnant women
How to Avoid It:
Food poisoning is not inevitable and there are many different ways you can protect yourself from it. Here are some ways you can prevent catching food poisoning.
Wash your hands and utensils before eating
Make sure that your hands and the utensils that you are eating with are clean before you eat with them. You may have harmful bacteria on your hands or on any other surface if you do not wipe them down first. If this bacteria transfers to your food, you may contract food poisoning.
If you get food poisoning at a restaurant, you may be able to receive compensation. Contact a Queens food poisoning lawyer if you acquire food poisoning in the Queens area.
Avoid raw foods
Raw foods are more likely to contact harmful bacteria because they have not been cooked. When foods are cooked at a certain temperature, it kills bacteria and viruses, making the food safe to eat.
Refrigerate Perishables
If you have food that needs to be refrigerated in order to maintain its freshness, make sure that you refrigerate it as soon as possible. You don’t want to leave out a perishable item and then consume it later because you thought it was still good.
Throw Out Suspicious Food
If you are unsure if a food has been contaminated or if it is too old to eat, don’t take the chance; throw out your food so that you do not run the risk of getting food poisoning.
If you do end up contracting food poisoning at a private or public institution and want to take legal action, you should contact Shaevitz & Shaevitz for a Queens food poisoning lawyer. We are a group of New York personal injury attorneys with over 65 years of experience.
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