BURGER TRAGEDY
McDonald’s fan who died from E.Coli after eating Quarter Pounder is named as family say he ‘put trust’ in restaurant
Dozens of customers across ten states have become sick after eating from McDonald's restaurants
A MCDONALD'S fan who tragically died after an E.coli outbreak linked to the chain's Quarter Pounders has been named.
The heartbroken family of 88-year-old James Charles 'JC' Smith said he put trust in the fast food giant's restaurants.
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The dad would often go out for dinner with his wife Doris at the same branch near their home in Grand Junction, Colorado.
The couple would always order a Quarter Pounder as their meal.
After a visit in late September, JC was rushed to hospital after falling sick.
The Marine veteran was released after four days after lab tests revealed it was a case of E.coli.
But when returning to the same McDonald's and once again ordering a Quarter Pounder, the dad was once again hospitalized and tragically died on October 20.
JC's devastated daughter Debbie Bonnell told : "All he wanted to do was enjoy a hamburger with his wife.
"He put his trust in these restaurants, and all we really want is our dad back.
"Before he got sick he just wanted to go and do things, even though the told me his feet can't move as well.
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She continued: "We watched my daddy have excruciating pain for many days -- thrashing his arms and legs around. It was very hard.
"I would hold his hand and pray and tell him to try and rest, 'We are here with you' and 'We are getting help for you.'"
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JC's son Jim added: "All and all, my dad was a loving person. He was compassionate.
"If he needed to be stern, you didn't want to be on that side."
Debbie spoke with the Mesa County Health Department after her father's first hospitalization.
She said: "(The health department worker) asked 'Where did my parents eat?' because there was some type of outbreak.
"But they were not going to say where yet."
Dozens of customers across ten states have become sick after eating from McDonald's restaurants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last Tuesday - just two days after JC Smith's death.
The regulating body says most people recover from E.coli, but some might face severe complications.
More than half of the 49 reported cases are in Colorado, with a further nine in neighboring Nebraska.
The outbreak has been linked to the onions used in McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers.
Investigators suspect the onions came from the Taylor Farms distribution plant in Colorado Springs.
McDonald’s has stopped using fresh slivered onions and beef patties in Quarter Pounders following the possible E coli contamination across several states.
It has also paused sales of Quarter Pounders in affected states, although other menu items are unaffected.
Fresh onions distributed to other food service operators like Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have also been recalled.
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Although JC Smith and his wife ordered the same Quarter Pounder at every visit, Doris would always remove the onions from her meal.
The grieving wife told CBS News: "I took mine off and gave mine to him.
"I feel guilty now because I gave him some onions."
On October 3, when JC first fell sick, Doris called her daughter after her husband suddenly became weak.
Recalling the conversation, she said: "Your daddy is very dizzy and he doesn't want to get out of bed. He's afraid he might fall."
Debbie, who immediately rushed to her parents' house, added: "My mother had been up all night.
"He had been in the bathroom all night and he had the bloody diarrhoea and he was so weak.
"When I got here he was so weak he couldn't walk."
All he wanted to do was enjoy a hamburger with his wife
Debbie Bonnell
The family said they weren't aware of any specific McDonald's restaurant they should avoid, so JC and his wife returned for another meal.
"She didn't tell me (for us) not to go out to eat anymore," said Doris, referring to the health officials.
Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald's USA put out a video statement on Tuesday evening in response to the outbreak.
"I wanted to take a minute to provide you with an update that we're communicating broadly, because food safety is so important to me and everyone at McDonald's," he said.
"Today, after close consultation with regulatory authorities, including the CDC, USDA, and FDA, we've taken steps to proactively remove slivered onions, which are used in Quarter Pounders, from restaurants in select states.
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"We also made the decision to temporarily remove the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in select states."
He stressed that "the majority of states and the majority of menu items are not affected," and that other beef products including the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Big Mac, McDouble, and Double Cheeseburger hadn't been impacted.
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