Teenager hospitalized for E. coli outbreak after eating at McDonald’s

GRAND JUNCTION, CO (KKCO/Gray News) – A high school student was hospitalized after contracting E. coli in a recent food-related outbreak at McDonald’s.

Kamberlyn Bowler, a student at Grand Junction High School, did not have any serious complications until early October, when symptoms began to appear.

Bowler’s local doctor “thought it was probably an appendix and recommended we go to the emergency room,” said Brittany Randall, Kamberlyn’s mother.

“The bottom line was she was suffering from acute kidney failure,” Randall said. “She tested positive for E. coli.”

15-year-old student Kamberlyn Bowler, 15, was hospitalized after contracting E. coli in... — 15-year-old student Kamberlyn Bowler (15) was hospitalized after contracting E. coli during a recent outbreak.(KKCO)

According to Food poisoning lawyer Ron SimonBowler developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease caused by E. coli.

Simon represents 33 victims of the epidemic, including nine of those hospitalized, including Bowler.

“The goal of all our lawsuits that we find is to accomplish three things,” Simon said. “The first is, of course, to obtain fair compensation for clients for their medical bills and lost wages and the pain they have experienced. The second is to allow their voices, and hopefully McDonald’s, to be heard. Finally, and most importantly, through our discovery and lawsuits, we will be able to find out exactly how this happened so we can prevent it from happening again to anyone else.”

Simon said this outbreak is unique compared to previous outbreaks.

“McDonald’s sells millions of meals a day,” he said. “If you make even the slightest mistake during production or testing, it will be repeated a million times a day. That’s why you will see so many diseases during this epidemic. There are many others that have not been reported but will be revealed in the coming weeks.”

For Bowler and her family, the diagnosis came as a surprise.

“It was unexpected, like she was healthy, played softball and had never had any health issues,” Randall said. “This is unexpected for us and definitely a struggle for everyone involved.”

Fortunately, Kamberlyn’s family and herself are in positive spirits and hope for her speedy recovery.

“When I came here it was tough, I didn’t feel great, but I feel a lot better,” Bowler said. “I just want to go back to school.”

According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC)as of October 25, 75 cases related to the E. coli outbreak have been confirmed in 13 states.

Twenty-six of them are in Colorado, and the only victim also died in Mesa County.