Syracuse, New York, Food Poisoning Lawyers

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Super Lawyer and an American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorneys, is Committed to Protecting the Rights of Food Poisoning Victims Across Syracuse. If You, or a Loved One, Began Showing Signs of a Foodborne Illness After Eating in a Central New York Restaurant, Our Experienced Team of Attorneys Could Help You Start an Investigation and Hold a Negligent Venue Liable for Their Negligence.

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Syracuse is the uncontested commercial and cultural capital of Central New York. Home to some of the region’s best cuisine—from Italian staples like Apizza Regionale to classic cuts at Daniella’s Steakhouse—Salt City’s highest-rated restaurants often go to great lengths to ensure their customers leave happy, healthy, and full.

However, restaurants and cafes have responsibilities beyond outstanding customer service and a delicious meal. Under Empire State law, every establishment serving food or drink has a legal duty to maintain a clean kitchen and reasonable levels of sanitation.

This task can prove daunting for many large and small restaurants, requiring trained staff and regular maintenance. Even when managers make a good-faith effort to abide by state law and county code, mistakes still happen and happen with alarming regularity. Seemingly minor oversights, from improper refrigeration to incidents of cross-contamination, can leave customers with potentially critical cases of food poisoning.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. is committed to providing unparalleled personal injury service. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a foodborne illness after eating out at a Syracuse, New York, restaurant, we could help you collect and analyze the evidence needed to make a compelling claim for recovery. Please message us online or call us at 1-866-529-5334 to schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

The Most Common Causes of Food Poisoning

The New York State Department of Health has identified the following four factors as the leading causes of foodborne illness:

1. A Contaminated Ingredient: About 21% of all foodborne illnesses are caused by contaminated ingredients. According to the New York State Department of Health, a contaminated ingredient is a food product that already contained a pathogen when it arrived at the “point of preparation.” Pathogens can be introduced at almost any stage in the supply chain, from the harvest to storage in a restaurant freezer. It is typically challenging to determine where, when, and how a product was contaminated without first undertaking an intensive legal investigation.
2. An Infected Person: An estimated 19% of all cases of food poisoning can be traced back to a sick or otherwise infected food handler transmitting pathogens to a food product during handling or preparation. In some cases, an infected employee may not know that they are sick or may not disclose that they are sick to avoid losing hours. Unfortunately, in the food and hospitality industry, it is also not uncommon for restaurants to require workers to report for their shifts even if they are unwell.
3. Naturally Occurring Toxins: Around 12% of reported food poisoning injuries are caused by naturally occurring toxins, which are chemical agents that accumulate in the food before, during, or after harvest.
4. Inadequate Cooking: Nearly 10% of all foodborne illnesses are caused by inadequate cooking. Many different types of raw meat contain harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and E. coli. These bacteria can typically be eliminated through prolonged exposure to high temperatures. If food is undercooked, there is a greater chance that some bacteria may survive, potentially infecting restaurant customers.

Proving a Food Poisoning Lawsuit

In New York, restaurants that fail to exercise a reasonable standard of care in preventing the spread of foodborne pathogens could be held liable for the costs of any resulting injuries.

However, prospective plaintiffs must be prepared to establish that the restaurant’s negligence was, more likely than not, the proximal cause of their illness. If you or a loved one believes that a restaurant’s negligence has injured you, you should take the following steps to protect your rights to a fair recovery:

1. Seek Medical Attention: You cannot win a food poisoning lawsuit if you cannot prove that the contaminated food product caused your illness. A doctor’s diagnosis could prove causation, or, at the very least, provide the foundation for a compelling argument
2. Preserve the Food Sample: If you still have leftovers from the meal that you believe caused your illness, try to preserve it by covering it, placing it in a sealable container, and storing it in your freezer. Your attorney can send the sample to a food safety specialist for testing.
3. Speak with Friends and Family: If a friend or family member went out to eat with you, check in with them and ask about their health. Make a record of your conversations, and ask any friends to share as many details as they can over email or text.
4. Keep a Detailed Record: Start a journal as soon as you notice symptoms indicative of food poisoning. Record, in as much detail as possible, what you ate, where you ate it, and when you began noticing symptoms. Include information about what treatments you tried, your doctor’s diagnosis, and health care recommendations.
5. Contact an Attorney:You likely stand your best chance of recovery with an experienced Syracuse food poisoning lawyer. An attorney could help you assess your damages, send a food sample for testing, and build a compelling case for recovery.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent decades aggressively fighting for the rights of food poisoning victims across the Empire State. Our experienced team of attorneys could help you collect the evidence needed to hold a negligent Syracuse restaurant liable for its misconduct—and we have the results to prove it.

Since our founding in 2005, we have helped our clients throughout the region secure more than $250 million in damages. We could help you, too. However, you have to act fast. If you wait too long to call an experienced Central New York food poisoning lawyer, the statute of limitations could lapse, forcing the court to dismiss your claim on a technicality.

Do not lose your chance to obtain justice. Please message the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. online or call us at 1-866-529-5339 to speak to a foodborne illness attorney near Syracuse and schedule your commitment-free consultation.

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Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 866-529-5334 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight for the best result for your personal injury claim in Syracuse, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

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