When you eat or drink, you expect to enjoy the meals without the risk of an injury. When an injury occurs, it can damage your throat, stomach, or cause some other sort of pain. It's easy to point the blame when these injuries occur, but there are a lot of factors that go into an injury. Before rushing to judgement and expecting a huge settlement, it's important to consult with a personal injury lawyer and break down the different aspects of a case.
Foreign Objects in Restaurant Food
Unexpected bones, pieces of metal, or another foreign object can cut your mouth, damage your throat and create permanent injuries. When planning the case, a lawyer must have evidence that showcases where the object came from and who's to blame for the injury.
For example, if a restaurant uses a supplier for soup broth, the foreign object in the broth would not be the restaurant's fault, but rather the supplier of the broth. If the object came from store-bought food, the same factor would apply. The store that you purchased the food from wouldn't be liable, but the manufacturer would be.
Food Burns
Some of the worst injuries you could get are from food burns. High temperatures and food spills could cause major skin damage, throat burns, and additional injuries.
The way the burn was caused has a huge factor on the case moving forward. For example, if a wait staff member spilled burning food on you, then them and their employer would likely be liable in the case.
If food does not have proper warning labels and burns you, then the manufacturer could be liable in the case. Another factor in this element is improper cooking instructions. If the temperature and cooking instructions are improper, then the damages could be blamed on the manufacturer.
Product Recalls
Food products are often recalled for bad ingredients, spoiled products, or other problems. If you've been injured by a recalled product, then there are multiple ways a case could move forward.
- Store Negligence: If a store fails to remove a recalled product and sells it to you, then the store could be liable for the injuries that occur. The details for this type of injury include how long the recalled product was kept on shelves and your actual purchase date.
- Recall Dates: It often takes injuries and reports before a food company will issue a wide recall. The date of your injury has a huge impact on your case. If it occurred before the recall, then you may have a case against the company.
Food Allergies
There are dozens of different food allergies that a person can have. This includes gluten, peanuts, shellfish, eggs, and soy. While food products often have detailed labels on their products, you may not get the same warnings when eating at restaurants.
Even if the food is properly labeled on a menu, you may have to deal with food contamination in your meal. This could lead to hospitalization, trauma, and other personal injuries. These types of cases are more complicated, but a restaurant could be responsible for your injuries if their kitchen conditions are not safe or they do not have proper warnings for different food ingredients.
Fast Food Injuries
A variety of injuries could occur at fast food restaurants. The restaurants have a much different environment, creating all different types of injury cases.
- Slip & Falls: Dropped food or improperly cleaned floors could lead to bad injuries at a fast food restaurant. Surveillance footage and witnesses could help amplify your case to further prove the case.
- Undercooked Foods: The quick pace of a fast food environment could lead to the serving of undercooked foods. This may result in food poisoning or stomach problems that the restaurant could be liable for.
- Malfunctioning Equipment: A lot of fast food restaurants feature self-serving stations like soda and salad bars. Malfunctioning machines could cause electric shocks, slips, or additional injuries. Improper care from the restaurant or defects from the equipment company could both be liable parties in the case.
When planning out a possible case, it's important to have as many details as possible. Any type of evidence like receipts, hospital documents, and witness statements will help build your case. Work with a lawyer to gather all of this evidence. You can also click for more info.
