VALDOSTA — The first of approximately a dozen lawsuits was filed in state court this week against Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. and Arby’s LLC, following a salmonella outbreak in Lowndes County in August.

Also named as defendants in the suit are Beavers Inc., and Birg Inc., which own the franchise, Globe Food Equipment, which supplied the faulty meat slicer which was later discovered to be the source of the bacteria; AFA Service Corporation, the marketing and advertising leader for Arby’s; ARCOP Inc.; and one unknown person, who supplied meat products to the restaurant; Farmer Brown’s Produce Inc., which supplied produce for the restaurant and four other unknown persons.

The suit was filed on behalf of 42-year-old Frances Parks, who was hospitalized on Aug. 28 with salmonella poisoning, which led to a bacterimia infection in the bloodstream, two days after she had eaten at the restaurant.

Parks, who works the 11 p.m.-7a.m. shift as a nurse in Nashville, stopped by the newly opened Arby’s on her way to work Aug. 25 and ordered a regular roast beef sandwich. She returned the next day and ordered four roast beef sandwiches, taking advantage of a special sale. As she was returning home from work on Aug. 28, Parks recalls feeling like she was coming down with a “bug.”

Symptoms began with an achy feeling followed by nausea and chills. Soon, Parks’ temperature rose to 101 degrees and she began vomiting, accompanied by diarrhea.

“The pain was indescribable,” Parks said. “My body literally ached from by toes to my head. I couldn’t stand to even be touched, and I stayed like that for a good 12 to 18 hours.”

Once Parks realized she was not experiencing any ordinary sickness, she called her husband home from work and the two left for the emergency room as her temperature rose to 104.4 degrees.

“Being a nurse, I knew this was wrong and it wasn’t just a typical little bug I picked up from somewhere,” Parks said.

Twenty-four hours after being admitted to the hospital, Parks learned that what she thought was just a minor illness turned out to be salmonella poisoning, which led to a five-day hospital stay.

Parks went through three IV treatments in eight hours. The vomiting and diarrhea continued and worsened. After 48 hours, Parks was finally allowed to eat, but still could not eat any solid food for the next three weeks. Though she had no available vacation time, Parks was forced to take three weeks off of work.

“I had to be fever and diarrhea-free for a full 24 hours before I could return to work, and that did not occur for three weeks,” Parks explained. “My digestive system is still messed up, and I definitely do not want to eat at any fast food restaurants now.”

The salmonella poisoning weakened Parks’ digestive system and digestive tract while the infection in her blood weakened her immune system. The process of rebuilding a digestive system after salmonella poisoning can take up to six months, according to Parks.

Fortunately, Parks had family to help. Her husband took time off of work to stay with her in the hospital and her mother came up from Florida to help care for their 8-year-old child.

“It was horrible,” Parks said. “I wouldn’t wish that stuff on my worst enemy. It was like I thought I would just rather die than go through that stuff.”

The combination of weeks off of work, towering hospital bills, months of sickness and the lack of anyone taking responsibility led Parks to contact an attorney.