Family of grandfather who died after eating Quarter Pounders is heartbroken

There has been 1 decease successful the terrible McDonald's E. coli outbreak that affected much radical successful Colorado than immoderate different state. That unfortunate -- JC Smith, 88 -- lived successful Grand Junction, and his household determination says they are heartbroken.

"All helium wanted to bash was bask a hamburger with his wife. He enactment his spot successful these restaurants, and each we truly privation is our dada back," his girl Debbie Bonnell said.

JC Smith with his woman Doris   Smith family

The outbreak has been linked to onions utilized connected McDonald's Quarter Pounder sandwiches. Investigators judge those onions came from the Taylor Farms organisation installation successful Colorado Springs. Those onions were pulled from affected McDonald's locations and Taylor Farms recalled yellowish slivered onions sent to different nutrient work operators.

A 4th pounder with cheese David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

There person been 90 cases reported successful 13 states, and Colorado had 26 radical who reported the unwellness and had it traced backmost to this outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says astir radical retrieve from E. coli, but immoderate radical person seen severe complications. That was the lawsuit -- astatine archetypal -- for Smith, whose afloat sanction was James Charles Smith.

Smith was a predominant McDonald's customers

JC Smith and his woman Doris often went retired for meal successful occidental Colorado and often visited the aforesaid McDonald's, located not acold from their home. They ordered the aforesaid repast each time: a Quarter Pounder.

After an aboriginal October sojourn helium coiled up precise sick and successful the hospital, according to Bonnell.

After 4 days determination helium was released. The doctors said laboratory tests showed it was a lawsuit of E. coli. He did an interrogation with the Mesa County Health Department earlier leaving.

"(The wellness section worker) asked 'Where did my parents eat?' due to the fact that determination was immoderate benignant of outbreak," Bonnell said. "But they were not going to accidental wherever yet."

Sometime aft that hospitalization, Smith went backmost to the McDonald's and had different Quarter Pounder. This time, erstwhile helium got symptoms again and went to the hospital, helium coiled up dying. His decease was connected Oct. 20.

Smith was apt 1 of the archetypal radical to beryllium identified arsenic having a affirmative E. coli lawsuit successful the nationwide outbreak.

A strong, loving man

Bonnell says her dada was a Marine seasoned and wasn't slowing down successful life.

"Before helium got sick helium conscionable wanted to spell and bash things, adjacent though the told maine his feet can't determination arsenic well," she said.

Smith family

He grew up successful Mississippi and worked arsenic a firefighter and aboriginal connected a postal work employee. The mates moved to Colorado successful the 1980s. In Colorado helium was a tiny concern proprietor and past a attraction manager astatine Vail Run Resort. He returned to the southbound for a stint but past moved backmost again to Mesa County.

This twelvemonth marked JC and Doris's 70th twelvemonth of marriage. They inactive took trips unneurotic and enjoyed playing with their great-grandchildren.

"All and all, my dada was a loving person. He was compassionate. If helium needed to beryllium stern, you didn't privation to beryllium connected that side," Bonnell said.

He had the onions, she didn't

While Smith and his woman ever had Quarter Pounders astatine McDonald's, Doris isn't a instrumentality of onions.

"I took excavation disconnected and gave excavation to him," Doris said. "I consciousness blameworthy present due to the fact that I gave him immoderate onions."

Doris says connected Oct. 3 she called her girl to fto her cognize the usually beardown JC had abruptly go weak.

"Your daddy is precise dizzy and helium doesn't privation to get retired of bed. He's acrophobic helium mightiness fall," she said, recalling the telephone conversation.

Bonnell said she went implicit to her parents location close away.

"My parent had been up each night. He had been successful the bath each nighttime and helium had the bloody diarrhea and helium was truthful weak," she said. "When I got present helium was truthful anemic helium couldn't walk."

Following the 4 days astatine the hospital, the household wasn't alert that determination was immoderate circumstantial edifice they should avoid.

"She didn't archer maine (for us) not to spell retired to devour anymore," said Doris, referring to the doctor's orders.

When JC got sick again aft eating astatine McDonald's, this clip it was overmuch worse.

"We watched my daddy person excruciating symptom for galore days -- thrashing his arms and legs around. It was precise hard," Bonnell said. "I would clasp his manus and commune and archer him to effort and rest, 'We are present with you' and 'We are getting assistance for you.'"

Two days aft JC's decease wellness officials reported the outbreak to the public.

Sharing their communicative retired of concern

Bonnell said she wasn't readying connected "my dada going this way."

"We inactive had tons of plans," she said.

Smith's grandson Jim says his household is aggravated and they person questions astir if much could person been done to prevention their beloved household member. But the crushed they decided to talk publically astir what happened was due to the fact that they are acrophobic for the wellness of others.

"If you are retired determination successful that enactment of enactment … and you suffer a level of interest oregon go complacent, accidents happen. Then you're going to beryllium held accountable. And erstwhile you speech astir taking people's loves ones and changing their lives permanently, others request to know," helium said.

The Smiths astatine this constituent person not filed a suit against McDonald's oregon anyone involved. Right present they accidental each they privation is the antheral they loved back.