A: Please keep in mind that I can only respond based on the information in your question, and my answer is not legal advice. With that being said, it sounds like you do have a case. The restaurant at Walt Disney World is responsible for your medical bills as well as any general damages, including pain and suffering. You should look to retain an attorney in Orlando, particularly one who specializes in tourist injuries.

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

American Airlines does not comment on pending litigation, according to a spokesman. Sky Chefs, an airline catering company, is also named in the lawsuit. Sky Chefs claims they did not cater meals on that particular flight. The lawsuit claims the chicken was contaminated with Clostridium perfingens, a deadly bacteria.

Once his flight landed in New York, Cortes had severe stomach pains and sudden thirst before boarding another flight to Miami. The flight had to make an emergency stop in Norfolf, Virginia as his conditioned worsened before he was pronounced dead.

Were you or a loved one injured by food poisoning?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

• Only eat candy in manufactured, sealed packaging.  Avoid homemade or treats in sandwich bags to prevent possible food poisoning.
• Inspect all of your children’s candy before allowing them to eat it.
• Always accompany your children while trick-or-treating.  Wear visible clothing to avoid a car accident.  Make sure older children go in groups if not accompanied by an adult.
• Make sure all your costumes fit well and you or your child will not trip, can see and breathe properly and are comfortable and, of course, flame resistant.

Keep these tips in mind, and enjoy your Halloween weekend!

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorney.

Here are the five deadliest types of food-borne bacteria that could harm you or your loved ones:

Listeria
Twenty deaths have been traced back to eating contaminated cantaloupes in the past weeks. Listeriosis is the deadliest bust least common than some other kinds of food-borne illnesses. Listeria does not cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, or of the any other typical sign of food poisoning. People who contract listeriosis often do not know they have it for a long time, until the listeriosis shows up as something much more serious, often requiring hospitalization. For the elderly or people with compromised immune systems or pregnant women, listeriosis can be particularly deadly or it can be harmful to the unborn baby.

E. coli
Last month, an E.coli outbreak occurred from strawberries picked on a local Oregon farm. E.coli has also been found on spinach and fresh-bagged lettuce. E. coli O157:H7 is dangerous to young children and older adults, and can cause them to develop a life-threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Salmonella
Salmonella is a common type of food-borne illness that is often associated with eggs and polutry. Recently, 36,000 pounds of ground turkey was recalled because of salmonella contamination. Salmonella does cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, or of the any other typical sign of food poisoning.

Staph Bacteria
This spring tests of meat on grocery store shelves revealed high levels of staph bacteria, the type of bacteria that causes skin and respiratory infections. The Translational Genomics Research Institute found Staphylococcus aurea in 136 samples of meat in four states and Washington, D.C. The bacteria were resistant to at least one type of antibiotic, and 52 percent were resistant to three or more types.

Hepatitis A
The worst outbreak of Hepatitis A ever reported in the U.S. claiming more than 660 victims including four fatalities came from green onions served at a Chi-Chi’s restaurant in Pennsylvania. Contaminated food is a serious route of transmission for this deadly bacteria.

An Orlando injury attorney can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a food poisoning outbreak.

Listeria, also known as listeriosis, poses a particular risk for children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. For pregnant women, illness from Listeria bacteria can cause miscarriages and still births. Depending on the type of food-borne illness, people can even die as a result of food poisoning. That is why it is very important to take steps to prevent food poisoning:

Make sure that food from animal sources (meat, dairy, eggs) is cooked thoroughly or pasteurized. Using a food-safe thermometer is recommended.

Avoid eating raw or undercooked meats and eggs. Check expiration dates on meats before purchasing and again before preparing.

Keep juices or drippings from raw meat, poultry, shellfish, or eggs from contaminating other foods.

Wash your hands, cutting boards, and knives with antibacterial soap and warm to hot water after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.

Cook foods until they are steaming hot, especially leftover foods or ready-to-eat foods, such as hot dogs, before eating.

An Orlando injury attorney can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a food poisoning outbreak.

After touching meat such as beef and poultry, wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.
Cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue or your upper arm when cooking.
Avoid touching surfaces after you have touched raw poultry.

Eliminate germs by using disinfectants, such as sprays and wipes, to clean surfaces.
To wash your hands before and after touching or preparing food:

• Use soap and warm water
• Wash both sides of your hands
• Wash under your nails
• Wash between your fingers
• Don’t forget your wrist
• Keep washing for at least 15 seconds
• Dry hands on paper towel
• Use paper towl to turn off faucet
• Use towel to open the door when you leave
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after you have finished cooking

An Orlando injury attorney can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a listeriosis or other food poisoning outbreak.

Shady Hill and Honeysuckle White are some of the brands affected. A test sample taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a review of the facility confirmed the presence of salmonella.

The CDC says that the recalled ground turkey meat is safe to eat if it is properly cooked, which should be to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer. To be on the safe side, consumers should return any opened or unopened packages of ground turkey meat to stores where they were purchased for a full refund.

Since March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked at least 77 incidents and some deaths to salmonella poisoning, which causes nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea.

An Orlando injury lawyer can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a salmonella or other food poisoning outbreak.

The recall affects about 8,088 packages of 4 oz. Vita Classic Premium Sliced Smoked Atlantic Nova Salmon sold in black vacuum-sealed packages with a SELL BY date of DEC 15 2011 01961B. The date code is located in the center of the window on the front of each package. The recalled smoke salmon was sold on or after July 25. Listeria infections, also known as listeriosis, pose a particular risk for children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, such as pregnant women. The infection can be serious for pregnant women, causing miscarriages and stillbirths. The fatality rate associated with listeriosis is about 25%.

Symptoms of listeriosis include muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, severe headaches and fever. If the bacteria spreads to the bloodstream and nervous system, it could cause meningitis and other complications.

An Orlando injury lawyer can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a listeriosis or other food poisoning outbreak.

Cargill has said the company shut down production and announced a voluntary recall out of concern for public health and safety. In order to resume production of ground turkey, the company said it:

Disassembled and steam cleaned plant equipment.
Put in place the most aggressive monitoring and testing program in the poultry industry.
Added two antibacterial measures to those already in place and required Springdale suppliers to use comparable antibacterial technology.
Established an independent panel of scientific experts to go over the plant “with a fine-toothed comb” to make sure it hadn’t missed anything.

Cargill resumed operations at Springdale after increasing its antibacterial technology in its chilling system and adding antibacterial sprays in the harvest line, procedures approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The recall was one of the largest U.S. meat recalls ever. An Oregon family is suing Cargill after their young daughter was sickened after eating Salmonella-contaminated turkey.

An Orlando injury lawyer can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a salmonella or other food poisoning outbreak.

Dr. Bill Keene, a nationally known foodborne illness specialist, says that it is not the pattern of this outbreak and not just one bad batch of turkey that consumers should be concerned about. The ongoing problem has been happening for months. Keen was concerned when he bought 15 packages of ground turkey products for lab testing purposes and six of the packages tested positive for salmonella.

Testing is yet to determine the specific type of salmonella but a high percentage of packages is showing traces of contamination.

Last week, Cargill Corporation recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey meat processed at the company’s plant in Arkansas. Cargill also suspended production at the plant until the problem has been resolved. At least 78 people across the country have been sickened and one person died from eating food poisoning traced to Cargill’s ground turkey meat.

An Orlando injury lawyer can provide guidance if you have suffered due to a salmonella or other food poisoning outbreak.