Negligent Restaurateurs and the Risk of Foodborne Illness

When we visit a restaurant, we put our faith in that establishment. We trust that the building will be clean and sanitary, that the food will be prepared properly and that all safety standards will be obeyed. When a restaurant breaches the trust we place in it, the results are often serious. Foodborne illnesses, such as e-coli and salmonella, can quickly infect large numbers of patrons.

In many cases, the victims of food poisoning suffer significant pain and disruption to their lives. Take, for example, the story of a woman who was infected by salmonella after visiting a restaurant in Dalhart, Texas.

The woman dined at the X in Texas Wood Fired Grill on February 6, 2015. The next day, she began to suffer the effects of food poisoning, including severe abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea and vomiting. Her symptoms continued for three days before she visited a local clinic, which gave her medication for her nausea and recommended over-the-counter treatments. When her condition worsened, her sons took her to the Emergency Room, where she was given intravenous fluid. She was later transferred to another facility when doctors realized that her kidneys were failing and she may need dialysis.

Lab tests revealed that she was suffering from salmonella. Following this, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed that the X in Texas Wood Fired Grill was connected to the outbreak, though all environmental and food samples came back negative for salmonella. According to one attorney interested in the case, negative food and environmental samples are often an indication that a careless employee may have introduced the infection him- or herself by failing to was his or her hands after using the restroom.

A restaurant that fails to meet safety standards is a danger to large segments of the population across a large geographical area. In addition to government monitoring, personal injury lawsuits act as an effective deterrent to negligent or hazardous behavior in the kitchen. Following a lawsuit for medical bills, lost wages and other expenses, most restaurant owners take immediate action to ensure a similar outbreak can never recur.

Personal injury attorney Robert Greening has more than 24 years of experience defending the rights of Texas residents. To schedule a one-on-one consultation at our Dallas law office, contact us online or call 972-934-8900. We look forward to representing your interests.