At least one Colorado resident is already suing McDonald’s after he got sick from eating food contaminated with E. coli.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that 26 out of 49 known cases in an outbreak across the western United States involved Colorado residents. Most people who got sick reported eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers in the days before their illnesses struck.
One person, who lived in Mesa County, died of complications from an E. coli infection. Health officials haven’t released any information about the deceased, other than that they were “older” and had other health problems.
The plaintiff in the first Colorado lawsuit, Eric Stelly, said he ate at a McDonald’s restaurant in Greeley on Oct. 4, and developed nausea, stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea two days later.
Stelly went to an emergency room on Oct. 8, where testing confirmed he had an E. coli infection. A news release from the lawyer representing him said he was “still recovering” as of Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Cook County, Illinois. The McDonald’s corporate headquarters is located in Chicago.
Most people who get sick with E. coli recover without any specific treatment, though a small percentage develop kidney damage or bloodstream infections.
The CDC considers slivered onions or beef patties the most likely causes of the illnesses. Typically, large-scale outbreaks such as the current one aren’t caused by anything a specific restaurant did, but result from something going wrong on the farm or in the distribution system.
McDonald’s removed Quarter Pounders from its menu in Colorado and other affected states while health officials continue to investigate. The company believes the outbreak is tied to slivered onions — which are only used on Quarter Pounders — that came from a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.
McDonald’s said the company has disposed of those onions.
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