Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the United States. According to the CDC, Salmonella bacteria cause an estimated 1.35 million infections nationwide every year, and contaminated food is the source of most of these illnesses. When a Salmonella infection happens because a restaurant, food manufacturer, grocery store, school, daycare, hotel, caterer, or other business failed to take reasonable food-safety precautions, the resulting injuries may support a personal injury claim.

I’m Pulkit Moudgil, a Houston personal injury attorney, and I represent individuals and families affected by serious Salmonella infections caused by negligence.

If you or a loved one required hospitalization, IV fluids, antibiotic treatment, or other significant medical care after eating contaminated food, I can investigate what happened and help determine whether another party may be responsible.

What Is Salmonella Poisoning?

Salmonella is a group of bacteria that causes an illness called salmonellosis. According to the FDA, most people infected with Salmonella develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after exposure, and the illness typically lasts four to seven days.

Symptoms may include:

• Diarrhea, which may be bloody
• Fever
• Stomach or abdominal cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Chills
• Dehydration
• Blood in the urine or stool in severe cases

Most healthy people recover without specific treatment. However, some people — including young children, adults 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems — may experience more severe illness that requires medical treatment or hospitalization.

In severe cases, Salmonella infection can spread beyond the intestines into the bloodstream, causing sepsis, organ infection, reactive arthritis, or other long-term complications (CDC Clinical Overview).

When Can a Salmonella Injury Lead to a Legal Claim?

Not every case of food poisoning is caused by negligence.

A potential claim may exist when a restaurant, food manufacturer, grocery store, or other business knew or should have known about a contamination risk and failed to act reasonably.

Examples may include:

• A restaurant serving undercooked poultry, eggs, or meat
• Cross-contamination during food preparation
• A grocery store selling contaminated or expired food
• A food manufacturer failing to follow proper sanitation procedures
• A recalled product remaining available for sale
• Improper food storage or refrigeration temperatures
• Employees failing to wash hands or follow food-safety protocols
• A caterer serving contaminated food at an event
• A school or daycare serving contaminated food to children
• Unpasteurized milk, juice, or eggs sold without proper labeling

The key question is often whether the responsible party had information — or should have had information through reasonable food-safety practices — that should have prevented the contamination.

Salmonella Poisoning After a Restaurant Meal

Restaurants are one of the most common settings for Salmonella outbreaks.

Undercooked chicken and eggs, cross-contaminated produce, and improperly stored ingredients can all introduce Salmonella bacteria into a meal.

If a restaurant fails to cook food to a safe internal temperature, allows cross-contact between raw and ready-to-eat foods, or ignores health-code violations, the consequences can be severe. Our broader Food Allergy Negligence practice addresses claims involving restaurants, manufacturers, retailers, and other businesses responsible for unsafe food.

Salmonella From Mislabeled, Recalled, or Contaminated Packaged Food

Not all Salmonella cases involve restaurants.

Packaged foods can also cause serious infections when:

• A recalled product remains on store shelves
• Poultry, eggs, or produce are contaminated during processing
• A manufacturer fails to follow FDA or USDA sanitation standards
• Cross-contact occurs during packaging or manufacturing
• A grocery store sells expired or improperly stored food
• Packaging contains inaccurate handling or cooking instructions

These cases may involve food manufacturers, distributors, retailers, grocery stores, or other companies in the supply chain.

Salmonella Injuries Involving Children

Children under five are at higher risk of severe complications from Salmonella infection.

Parents may rely on schools, daycares, camps, restaurants, or caregivers to follow basic food-safety practices when preparing and serving meals.

Potential cases may involve:

• A daycare or school serving undercooked or contaminated food
• Improper food storage or handling by institutional kitchens
• Delayed medical response after a child shows symptoms
• Cross-contact in institutional kitchens
• Failure to follow health-department food-safety guidelines

When a child develops a severe Salmonella infection, the emotional and physical toll can affect the entire family.

Serious Complications of Salmonella Poisoning

Most people recover from Salmonella within a week. Others experience significant complications.

Serious Salmonella-related injuries may include:

• Severe dehydration
• Bacteremia and sepsis
• Reactive arthritis
• Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Kidney complications
• Prolonged hospitalization
• Intensive care admission
• Long-term digestive complications
• Death in rare, severe cases

The severity of the medical consequences can have a major impact on the value of a personal injury claim.

What Evidence Can Help Prove a Salmonella Claim?

Salmonella cases often require careful investigation, in part because symptoms can take days to appear.

Important evidence may include:

• Stool culture and laboratory test results confirming Salmonella
• Emergency room and hospital records
• Health department or FDA complaint records
• Food samples and packaging
• Receipts and online order records
• Photographs of the food
• Menu descriptions
• Witness statements from others who ate the same food
• Surveillance footage
• Health inspection records for the restaurant or facility
• Communications with restaurant, store, or manufacturer management

Preserving evidence early can be important because food may be discarded, surveillance footage may be overwritten, and symptoms can take days to connect back to the source meal.

Who May Be Responsible for a Salmonella Injury?

Liability depends on how the contamination occurred.

Potentially responsible parties may include:

• Restaurants
• Restaurant ownership groups and franchise operators
• Food manufacturers
• Food distributors
• Grocery stores
• Catering companies
• Schools and daycare facilities
• Hotels and event venues
• Food delivery companies
• Other businesses involved in preparing, processing, distributing, or serving the food

Some cases involve multiple responsible parties. My job is to investigate the chain of events and determine where the failure occurred.

What Compensation May Be Available?

Compensation in a Salmonella injury claim may include damages related to:

• Emergency medical care
• Hospitalization and IV treatment
• Laboratory and diagnostic testing
• Medication
• Future medical expenses
• Lost income
• Loss of earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Long-term medical complications

If a Salmonella infection results in death, surviving family members may have rights under Texas wrongful death law (Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 71).

Why Choose The Moudgil Law Firm for a Salmonella Poisoning Case?

Attorney Pulkit Moudgil brings over nine years of experience representing personal injury victims throughout Texas. As a graduate of South Texas College of Law Houston and a licensed Texas attorney since 2016, Pulkit personally handles every case rather than passing clients off to junior attorneys.

Salmonella cases can involve complicated questions about food handling, storage, cooking temperatures, sanitation practices, and who had responsibility for preventing the contamination.

The Moudgil Law Firm has recovered over $14 million for clients and is familiar with Houston courts, Harris County procedures, insurance company tactics, and serious personal injury claims.

We prepare every case thoroughly and are ready to pursue litigation when necessary rather than accepting an unfair settlement.

Our contingency fee structure means you pay no attorney fees unless we successfully recover compensation for you. We typically charge 33.33% before a lawsuit is filed and 40% if litigation becomes necessary.

We also keep clients informed throughout the legal process so you understand what is happening with your case and what options are available to you.

Steps to Take After a Salmonella Diagnosis

Your health comes first.

Seek medical treatment immediately if you experience severe diarrhea, high fever, signs of dehydration, blood in your stool, or other concerning symptoms.

After your condition is stabilized:

1. Ask your doctor for a stool culture to confirm Salmonella and identify the strain.
2. Preserve any remaining food, packaging, and receipts.
3. Take photographs of the food, packaging, and any labeling.
4. Save screenshots of online or delivery orders.
5. Write down exactly what you ate and when symptoms began.
6. Identify anyone else who ate the same food and may also be sick.
7. Report the illness to the local health department and the FDA’s food-safety complaint system.
8. Keep copies of all medical records and discharge instructions.
9. Preserve communications with the restaurant, store, or manufacturer.
10. Avoid giving a recorded statement to an insurance company before speaking with an attorney.

Contact The Moudgil Law Firm at (832) 476-3209 for a free consultation. We can evaluate what caused your Salmonella infection, identify potentially responsible parties, and begin preserving evidence.