Tainted Meat Causes One Death and 76 Illnesses Notes Michigan Litigation Funding Corporation

Southfield, MI (Law Firm Newswire) October 26, 2011 – Food and food products travel the nation at lightning speed. Is the emphasis on speedy delivery affecting food quality and safety? Trade-offs to get food quickly can have a great affect on people’s lives.

“It is scary how often food products are recalled, these days,” said Daren Monroe, who writes for Litigation Funding Corporation, Southfield, Michigan. “It makes you question what you’re eating, doesn’t it? And that’s the million dollar question, is our food safe? For the most part, yes, it is. However, as this case demonstrates, it may look safe, it may smell safe, but it can still kill people or make them deathly ill.”

This recall involves 36 million pounds of ground turkey. That bears repeating given the enormity of the recall. Cargill recalled 36 million pounds after tainted meat was responsible for contributing to the death of a man in California and causing illnesses to 76 other people across the nation. “It’s frightening to see how many people were affected by this defective product that was shipped and contaminated with salmonella. People in 26 states suffered the ill effects of this tainted meat,” added Monroe.

This outbreak was first reported in March but the product recall was not announced until August 3, 2011. One wonders why it took that long to connect the dots in this case. The recall targeted frozen and fresh ground turkey products that were produced and shipped from the Cargill Arkansas plant from February 20 through until August 2. “Again, what took so long to figure out the source and how could the plant miss the fact they were shipping tainted meat if they were conducting proper meat inspections?” Monroe asked.

Evidently, the CDC and USDA were trying to track the source of the contamination without much luck until they found a leftover turkey package at the home of one of the victims. It tested positive for the strain of salmonella driving the outbreak. Acting on that information, the plant has suspended ground turkey production until the source is pinpointed.

“Most of the illnesses were located in Michigan and Ohio, which accounted for 20 victims,” said Monroe. “Texas had nine people sick, Illinois seven, California had six and Pennsylvania reported five. The other states involved indicated they had at least one victim in their states.”

The company did indicate that even if someone still had ground turkey at home that it was safe to eat if cooked to at least 165 degrees, and that the person handling and cooking the meat thoroughly washed their hands and all surfaces after handling it. “Seriously though, what person in their right mind would want to mess with cooking contaminated meat for fear of not cooking it at the right temperature or for long enough,” Monroe commented. “Most would, and should, throw the meat away.”

Those who succumbed to salmonella poisoning and spent time seriously ill or in hospital should have a defective product claim against Cargill. The family of the man who died eating this meat is likely to file a wrongful death suit.

If the family did choose to pursue a wrongful death case, it may also need financial assistance for medical bills, funeral and burial costs while family members wait for the litigation to wrap up, which sometimes takes years. The perfect solution could be lawsuit funding, which is a lawsuit cash advance to help them make it to trial and pay their outstanding debts.

Litigation funding is advanced against the potential, future outcome of the case. It allows plaintiffs to get back on their feet financially without having to sacrifice a valuable personal injury lawsuit for less than full value from a greedy insurance company looking to take advantage of financial distress.

Lawsuit financing, if the plaintiff’s case is approved, typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours or less, as most “lawsuit loan” companies understand the need for promptness. Injury victims should use the money wisely to pay important bills and expenses while waiting for justice to be served.

“Litigation funding, also referred to as a lawsuit cash advance is a very wise thing to do in the right situation; it is worth checking into,” Monroe said.

To learn more about lawsuit funding and litigation funding, visit http://www.litigationfundingcorp.com/.

Litigation Funding Corporation
29777 Telegraph Road, Suite 1310
Southfield, MI 48034
Call: 1.866.LIT.FUND