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Customers in McDonald’s E. coli outbreak case include 15-year-old from Grand Junction
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Customers in McDonald’s E. coli outbreak case include 15-year-old from Grand Junction

DENVER (KDVR) — Duration Quarter Pounders, without onions, are now back on the menu Lawsuits against the fast food giant continue to evolve for McDonald’s locations in Colorado in the wake of a deadly and widespread E. coli outbreak.

On Monday, Ron Simon & Associates announced It was stated that the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder was kept to represent 33 people who believed they were victims of the E. coli outbreak. One of those customers is Kamberlyn Bowler, 15, of Grand Junction in Mesa County, who ate Quarter Pounders with extra pickles at least twice in late September and early October, according to attorneys.

Colorado labs test McDonald’s beef patties for E. coli

Ron Simon & Associates said the 15-year-old girl developed symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on Oct. 8, including “bloody diarrhea, intense abdominal and kidney pain.” On Oct. 11, he went to State Hospital in Grand Junction, where lawyers said he developed “hemolytic uremic syndrome,” which could be a complication of E. coli food poisoning. HUS is a characterized blood disease. Due to kidney damage and low platelet count, according to Cleveland Clinic.

“It’s a central line and I get it pretty much every day for my dialysis and transfusions,” Bowler told FOX31’s Jeremy Hubbard over Zoom from his hospital room in Aurora on Monday.

The teen went into acute kidney failure after going to the emergency room in Grand Junction, his mother said.

“A few days later on the 11th, we went to the emergency room because he texted me and said he had bloody stool, urine, and vomiting,” Bowler’s mother told Hubbard.

Mesa County was also where a resident in his 80s with underlying health conditions died after contracting E. coli. So far, 75 cases of E. coli have been detected in 13 states across the USA, 22 of which were hospitalized.

E. coli bacteria cause a variety of infections, but some strains that produce Shiga toxin can cause serious illness and kidney damage, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Hospital, most at risk groups This disease includes newborns and young children, as well as people over the age of 65 or people with weakened immune systems.

Bowler was transferred to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora on Oct. 17, where he received dialysis and doctors worked to stabilize his kidney function, the law firm said.

He remains hospitalized with 24-hour care, Ron Simon & Associates said.

“HUS is a dangerous and life-threatening disease and can lead to the need for lifelong monitoring and treatment, including a kidney transplant,” Ron Simon of Ron Simon & Associates said in a statement about the 15-year-old’s health. “The longer a young person remains on dialysis, the more difficult their medical future will be.”

The 15-year-old is also aware of the potential.

“I could still have kidney problems for the rest of my life,” he told Hubbard.

Lawsuits filed against McDonald’s after tests confirm infections

The law firm currently represents at least nine people who were hospitalized and two others who suffered HUS, or acute kidney injury, which the law firm said was a result of contracting E. coli from McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

“Through these lawsuits, we will be able to obtain information that will help us understand exactly where the malfunction occurred that caused this contaminated food to end up on plates at McDonald’s,” Simons told Hubbard. “And when we find out, we’ll stop it, we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Ron Simons & Associates has already filed two lawsuits against the restaurant chain over the E. coli outbreak.

“These types of diseases are tragic but also preventable,” Simon said. “Our team will continue to seek justice for those harmed by this pandemic. “We can and will find out how this happened so we can prevent it from happening again.”

Lawsuit against McDonald’s could involve tens of millions of dollars

On Sunday, the Colorado Department of Agriculture announced that it had analyzed dozens of samples of beef patties used in Quarter Pounders and they all came back negative for E. coli. The CDA said it did not expect to take any more beef samples in this case.

But the company said it found a new supplier for its beef patties out of an abundance of caution and stopped sourcing onions from Taylor Farms, a California producer with a Colorado Springs distribution facility.

Concerns continue about the slivers of onion used in burgers. On Sunday, McDonald’s said it would return the Quarter Pounder to affected areas in Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas, as well as parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah.

The restaurant said Sunday the problem looked like this “We are confident that any contaminated products of a specific origin and geography and related to this outbreak have been removed from our supply chain and removed from all McDonald’s restaurants.”

The Centers for Disease Control said it usually takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak and that the actual number of patients involved in the outbreak is “likely much higher than the number reported.” McDonald’s also said in a statement on Sunday that as awareness increases, more people can be tested.

McDonald’s response to the epidemic was published on the company’s website It emphasizes safety protocols, including daily temperature checks, storage and cooking guidelines, and hourly hand-washing requirements.

Meanwhile, the Bowlers are still at Children’s Hospital Colorado, hoping for the best.

“It’s absolutely scary to see your child deteriorate and his body not working for him,” the teen’s mother told Hubbard.

McDonald’s has not yet responded to FOX31’s request for a response to the lawsuit.

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