CO man's family says he was sick twice after eating McDonald's Quarter Pounder: Reports

A Colorado family is speaking out after its patriarch became the first death resulting from an E. coli outbreak that has plagued McDonald's in recent weeks.

James Charles Smith, also known as JC Smith, lived in Grand Junction, a city in western Colorado. His family said he loved going to McDonald’s with his wife Doris, reported news station KCNC-TV.

According to his family, he’d often order the Quarter Pounder, the menu item that has been the center of McDonald’s E. coli outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched an investigation into the outbreak Oct. 22, noting that fresh, slivered onions served on Quarter Pounders and other items at the restaurant chain were likely the source of the outbreak. 

According to the CDC, impacted McDonald’s restaurants got their onions from Taylor Farms, a facility located in Colorado. Taylor Farms has since recalled the yellow onions.

The CDC also said there have been 13 states impacted by the outbreak as of Oct. 30. Among the reports collected, there have been 90 cases, 27 hospitalizations and 1 death, according to the CDC.

The CDC said on its website that the lone death resulting from the outbreak was “an older adult in Colorado.”

In the aftermath of the outbreak, McDonald's pulled the Quarter Pounder from about one-fifth of its restaurants, then reintroduced them after the Colorado Department of Agriculture confirmed that beef patties from impacted locations tested negative for E. coli.

In its announcement about reintroducing the Quarter Pounder on Oct. 27, McDonald's said the burgers would be sold without slivered onions at the 900 restaurants that get their onions from Taylor Farms in Colorado Springs.

At least three lawsuits have also been filed after the ordeal.

Man and wife ate Quarter Pounders together frequently

Smith, who got sick after eating a Quarter Pounder last month, died Oct. 20. However, that wasn’t the first time he’d gotten sick after eating McDonald’s recently, his family told KCNC-TV.

Smith's family did not immediately respond to an interview request from USA TODAY.

He went to the chain in late September and ended up in the hospital, his daughter Debbie Bonnell said. He had been feeling weak, dizzy, didn’t want to get out of bed and he had diarrhea, his daughter told KCNC-TV. She added that he could barely walk.

He spent four days in the hospital and then was released. Doctors told the family that according to lab tests, he’d suffered from an E. coli infection, she told the station.

His daughter also spoke to the Mesa County Health Department, who asked the family where he’d eaten recently. 

She claims an employee with the Mesa County Health Department said there was an outbreak they were keeping their eyes on but did not say what facility or restaurant was involved yet.

Smith's wife, Doris Smith, told the news station that health officials didn’t give them a warning.

“She didn’t tell me (for us) not to go out to eat anymore,” his wife said, referring to the health department’s employee.

A spokesperson for the Mesa County Health Department told USA TODAY Tuesday afternoon that the department was not able to comment on individual cases.

Smith eventually went back to McDonald’s and ordered himself another Quarter Pounder, KCNC-TV reported. This time when he got sick, he was in “excruciating pain for many days,” his daughter told the station. 

His wife said she didn’t eat her onions and instead scraped them off, then gave some to her husband, according to KCNC-TV.

“I feel guilty now because I gave him some onions,” she told the outlet.

He was rushed to the hospital and died on Oct. 20. Days later, the outbreak was announced.

Family says father and grandfather was a loving, compassionate Marine veteran

Bonnell, Smith’s daughter, told KCNC-TV her father was a Marine veteran who grew up in Mississippi. He spent time working as a firefighter and later, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service. 

He and his wife moved to Colorado in the 1980s, where he ran his own business and then worked as a maintenance manager at Vail Run Resort. He moved away for a bit but made his way back to Mesa County, the outlet reported.

This year, he celebrated his 70th anniversary with his wife.

His family members told KCNC-TV they are angry and concerned about other people getting sick like this. The family has not filed a lawsuit, the outlet added.

“All he wanted to do was enjoy a hamburger with his wife,” his daughter told KCNC-TV. “He put his trust in these restaurants, and all we want is our dad back.”

McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger released a video in response to the outbreak in late October and said the company has been taking precautions to make sure the company’s food is safe to eat. 

Erlinger said the company has worked with public health authorities to figure out how this happened.

“I know that our relationship is built on trust,” he said. You trust us to serve you safe food every time. On behalf of the McDonald's system, I want you to hear from me, we are sorry.”

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, James Powel, Mike Snider, USA TODAY.

This story has been updated to correct a citation.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].