The family of a grandfather who died after eating Quarter Pounders are devastated

One death occurs as severe E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s affects more people in Colorado than any other state. The victim – JC Smith, 88 – lived in Grand Junction, and family there say they are heartbroken.

“He just wanted to eat a hamburger with his wife. He trusted these restaurants and we just want dad back,” said his daughter, Debbie Bonnell.

The explosion occurred related to onion used for McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwiches. Investigators believe the onions came from a Taylor Farms distribution facility in Colorado Springs. These onions were pulled from affected McDonald’s locations, and Taylor Farms recalled yellow chopped onions shipped to other food service operators.

Ninety cases have been reported in 13 states, and in Colorado, 26 people have reported illness and linked it to the beginning of the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most people recover from E. colibut some people saw it serious complications. This was – initially – the case of Smith, whose full name was James Charles Smith.

Smith was a frequent McDonald’s customer

J.C. Smith and his wife Doris often went out to dinner in western Colorado and often visited the same McDonald’s near their home. They ordered the same meal every time: a quarter pounder.

According to Bonnell, after his visit in late September, he was very sick and in the hospital.

After four days he was released. Doctors said lab tests showed it was a case of E. coli. Before leaving, his daughter interviewed with the Mesa County Health Department.

“(The health department employee) asked, ‘Where did my parents eat?’ because there was some kind of epidemic,” Bonnell said. – But they didn’t want to say where yet.

Some time after this hospitalization, Smith returned to McDonald’s and drank another Quarter Pounder. This time, when symptoms reappeared and he was taken to hospital, he ended up dying. His death occurred on October 20.

Smith was likely one of the first people to test positive for E. coli during the nationwide outbreak.

A strong, loving man

Bonnell says her dad was a Marine veteran and never slowed down.

She also said that before he got sick, he just wanted to go and do things, even though she was told his feet couldn’t move either.

He grew up in Mississippi and worked as a firefighter and later a postal worker. In the 1980s, the couple moved to Colorado. In Colorado, he was a small business owner and then maintenance manager at Vail Run Resort. He returned south for a while, but then returned to Mesa County.

This year marked JC and Doris’ 70th wedding anniversary. They still went on trips together and enjoyed playing with their great-grandchildren.

“Overall, my dad was a loving person. He was full of compassion. If he had to be strict, you didn’t want to be on that side,” said his son Jim Smith.

He had onions, she didn’t

While Smith and his wife always ate quarter pounders at McDonald’s, Doris is not a fan of onions.

“I grabbed mine and gave him some,” Doris said. “Now I feel guilty because I gave him some onions.”

Doris claims she called her daughter on October 3 to let her know that the normally strong JC had suddenly become weak.

“Your daddy is very dizzy and doesn’t want to get out of bed. He’s afraid he’ll fall,” she said, recalling the phone conversation.

Bonnell said she immediately went to her parents’ house.

“They didn’t sleep all night. He spent the entire night in the bathroom, about every 10 minutes, had bloody diarrhea and was very weak,” she said. “When I got here, he was so weak he couldn’t walk.”

After four days in the hospital, the family was unaware that there was any particular restaurant they should avoid.

Bonnell said, “She just asked me, ‘Where did my parents eat,’ because there was some kind of epidemic.”

“She didn’t tell me (us) not to go out to eat anymore,” Doris said, referring to health officials.

When JC got sick again after eating McDonald’s, this time it was much worse.

“For days we watched my daddy in excruciating pain, flailing around in his arms and legs. It was very difficult,” Bonnell said. “I held his hand, prayed and told him to try and rest. I said: ‘We are here with you’ and ‘We are getting help for you’.

Two days after JC’s death, health officials informed the public about the outbreak.

Sharing your story out of fear

Jim Smith said, “I didn’t plan on my dad being this fast.”

“We still had a lot of plans,” he said.

Smith’s grandson, Jim, says his family is furious and questions whether more could have been done to save their beloved family member. However, the reason they decided to speak publicly about what happened was because they feared for the health of others.

“If you do this job… and you lose your anxiety level or become complacent, accidents will happen. Then you will be held responsible. And when you talk about taking people’s loved ones away and changing their lives permanently, others should know about it,” he said.

As of now, the Smiths have not filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s or anyone involved in the case. Right now they say all they want is the return of the man they love.

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