A San Antonio produce company will pay a Texas family $1.1 million in damages following a fatal case of food poisoning that took place during a listerios bacteria outbreak in certain celery products last year.
In 2010, 81-year-old Hermilo Castellano Senior of Seguin, Texas, died after eating celery tainted with a deadly strain of bacteria. An investigation into the incident, which sickened at least ten people over three Texas counties and killed five elderly people, linked almost all of the food poisoning cases to Sangar Produce & Processing Co., a Texas company that produces cut celery among other products. In the wake of the deaths, thousands of pounds of produce were recalled around Texas from over three hundred distributers.
The company was shut down in the fall of last year following the outbreak and did not show up for the defective product wrongful death trial.The family of the deceased man was awarded a default settlement.
Both the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found listerios contamination at the San Antonio food factory – along with several other violations and safety issues. The company initially denied that their food contained the bacteria, stating that their own inspection had not revealed problems.
Food poisoning is often simply an unpleasant experience – but for the sick, the elderly, or the young, it can be deadly. Produce and food companies have a legal obligation to protect customers from tainted food and dangerous bacterial strains. If you or a loved one have been seriously harmed by a case of food poisoning, contact a
Houston product liability attorney about your case.
Category: Defective Products
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