After planning on having a great time at a restaurant, you may be devastated when a wonderful night is ruined by food poisoning. You may feel tempted to sue the party that is responsible for your illness. However, in most cases, it might not be worthwhile to sue.

Proof of Fault

One of the biggest challenges regarding a personal-injury lawsuit for food poisoning is whether you are able to prove that the particular restaurant was responsible for your food poisoning. The more time has passed, the more difficult it will be to prove that an illness was the result of food poisoning. An example of evidence may be that you have some of the food left over. The food could then be tested, and it may be discovered that the food was in fact contaminated. However, the restaurant may argue that something may have happened to the food after it left the restaurant to cause it to become contaminated. If it can be proven that the restaurant was responsible for the food poisoning, the level of negligence involved on the part of the restaurant can affect the outcome of the case.

Mass Food Poisoning

One strong piece of evidence that the food was contaminated is whether there were a large number of individuals who became sick as a result of the food prepared by the restaurant. For instance, if the restaurant catered for an event, and most of the attendees of the event became sick, it would be easier to prove that the food prepared at the event was responsible for making the attendees sick.

The Result of the Food-Poisoning Incident

For most food-poisoning cases, the symptoms are temporary, and the patient usually recovers within a few days at the most. In extreme cases, food poisoning may lead to long-term central nervous system damage. If this is the case, it is recommended that you consider pursuing litigation to pay for any long-term medical treatments that are necessary to recover. In other cases, food poisoning can lead to death, and it would be appropriate to pursue a wrongful-death case.

If you have suffered from a long-term illness, it is best to contact a personal-injury attorney. When an illness leads to expensive medical bills and keeps you from working, you have every right to seek compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering. An attorney will help you determine whether a lawsuit would be worth pursuing.