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HEPATITIS A
Food Poisoning


Personal Injury Lawyer Reviewing Food Poisoning Cases for injured plaintiffs Nationwide
Nationwide Success

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis virus, which is primarily spread when an unvaccinated person ingests food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person.

The disease is closely associated with unsafe water or food, inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene. The hepatitis A infection does not cause chronic liver disease and is rarely fatal, however, it can cause debilitating symptoms and acute liver failure in rare cases.

Hepatitis A occurs sporadically worldwide and is one of the most frequent causes of foodborne infection. Epidemics related to contaminated food or water can erupt and affect thousands of people. Hepatitis A viruses persist in many environments and can withstand safety processes routinely used to control bacterial pathogens.

The disease can lead to significant public health consequences in communities. It can take weeks or months for people to recover from the illness and return to work or school. The impact on local productivity can be substantial.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Ohio personal injury attorney with experience in injuries due to food poisoning. The Lyon Firm has represented plaintiffs nationwide in foodborne illness claims. 


Who is at Risk of Hepatitis A Infection?


Anyone who has not been vaccinated or previously infected can be infected with a hepatitis A virus. In areas where the virus is endemic, most infections will occur during early childhood. Risk factors include:

  • Poor sanitation
  • Lack of safe water
  • Use of recreational drugs
  • Living with an infected person
  • Being a sexual partner of an infected person
  • Travelling to endemic areas without being immunized

Hepatitis A is transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route when a person ingests food or water that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person.

Waterborne outbreaks are associated with sewage or inadequately treated water. The virus can be transmitted through close physical contact, although casual contact among people does not usually spread the virus.


Common Symptoms of Hepatitis A


Symptoms of hepatitis A range from mild to severe, and symptoms generally present between 14 and 28 days after exposure. Not everyone who is infected will have all of the classic symptoms. When symptoms do show, they may include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal pain or discomfort
  • Clay-colored bowel movements
  • Loss of appetite
  • Low-grade fever
  • Dark urine
  • Joint pain
  • Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • Intense itching

Adults have signs and symptoms of illness more frequently than children. Symptoms may be mild and dissipate in a few weeks, or hepatitis A infection can result in a severe illness that lasts several months.

The severity of disease is higher in older age groups. Infected children under six years old do not usually experience serious symptoms. Among older children and adults, infection usually causes more severe symptoms, with jaundice occurring in more than 70 percent of cases.

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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

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A Voice for Those who have suffered

Why are these cases important?

Serious injuries and accidents often result through no fault of the injured party, yet the injured victim suffers from life altering physical, mental and financial losses. Such economic and human losses can have devastating financial consequences on individuals and families if not properly compensated. Tort law allows those individuals to seek just legal recourse through personal injury lawsuits.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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Questions about Food Poisoning Cases

Why Should I File a Food Poisoning Lawsuit?

According to the most recent data collected by the CDC, the majority (64 percent) of serious food poisoning outbreaks are caused by food prepared at restaurants, catering events or banquet facilities.

A legal claim against a company is likely to get a fast settlement if you hire an experience personal injury attorney. Filing a lawsuit indicates to the company that you are prepared to prove with sufficient evidence that their negligence caused a serious illness.

A legal claim also communicates to the company that you have an attorney that is willing to fight the company for however long it takes to win rightful compensation.

Once an injury claim is filed, an attorney can take legal steps to obtain relevant corporate and health department documents to help bolster a food poisoning case. Without a lawsuit, it may be difficult to get important company information. At this point, an attorney can interview restaurant employees, management, and other people involved to get additional information.

If you fall seriously ill, you may not be the only one. You may be part of an outbreak that must be contained for the sake of public health safety. Local health departments should know if you are part of an outbreak. People sickened in an outbreak may be able to seek settlements from the company that owns the restaurant.

Whether you get food poisoning from a restaurant or from contaminated food directly from a distributor, contact an attorney to find out if you have a case to sue for rightful compensation.

How Can I identify My Food Contamination?

Food poisoning occurs when the contaminated food enters the production line — any point during the growing, harvesting, processing, storage, shipping or preparation of the food product. Often cross-contamination and national or international distribution multiply the impacts of a single food outbreak.

The most hazardous culprits include raw foods of animal origin, such as raw meat, poultry, shellfish, uncooked eggs, and unpasteurized milk. Raw fruits and vegetables can also be a concern. Even foods like corn or cereals can contain high levels of mycotoxins, produced by mold on grain.

To protect your legal rights after falling ill from food poisoning, it is important that a medical professional test a urine, blood and stool sample to determine the specific pathogen (bacteria, virus or parasite) that made you sick.

This can narrow down where and how you were affected. Bacterial cells must be sent to a laboratory for genetic testing, and the results will be crucial evidence for a plaintiff. If you have any questions about the important lab testing or legal procedure, contact The Lyon Firm for information.

If the DNA patterns match, this is important evidence that can lead to a successful legal claim. Once you have medical evidence on your side, a personal injury attorney can advise you how to proceed against the negligent party that caused the illness.

Leftover food is sometimes tested to find out if it is contaminated. In some disease outbreaks, lawyers and health officials have gathered leftover food suspected of being the source of an illness. It is important to talk to a lawyer before throwing out leftover food from a restaurant.

How Can I Treat Food Poisoning?

Specific treatment for food poisoning depends on the severity and the source of the illness, if known. For most people, the illness resolves without treatment within a few days, though some types of food poisoning can last much longer. Treatment may include:

  • Rehydration/replacement of fluids and electrolytes—minerals that maintain the balance of fluids in your body are lost in persistent diarrhea and need to be replaced. Some patients with severe diarrhea or vomiting may need hospitalization, where they can receive intravenous salts and fluids to treat dehydration.
  • Antibiotics—doctors prescribe antibiotics with certain kinds of bacterial food poisoning. As a general rule, the sooner the treatment begins, the better the results. However, antibiotics may actually worsen symptoms in certain kinds of viral or bacterial food poisoning so it is crucial to identify the affecting pathogen first.