Photo courtesy Ron Simon & Associates
DENVER — Kamberlyn Bowler, a 15-year-old resident of Grand Junction in Mesa County, Colo., ate a Quarter Pounder with extra pickles on at least two occasions at the end of September and early October.
By Oct. 8, she became ill with gastrointestinal illness, including bloody diarrhea and intense abdomen and kidney pain.
On Oct. 11, she presented to Community Hospital in Grand Junction, where she soon developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a dangerous and life-threatening complication of E. coli food poisoning.
On Oct. 17, Bowler was life-flighted to Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colo. Since that time, she has been on dialysis as doctors work around-the-clock to stabilize her kidney function. She remains hospitalized in guarded condition and under 24-hour medical isolation and care.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 90 victims in 13 states in the McDonald's E. Coli outbreak. Twenty-seven have been hospitalized.
Bowler’s attorney, Ron Simon, of the national food safety firm Ron Simon & Associates in Houston, now represents Bowler and 32 other McDonald's E. coli victims, including nine who were hospitalized and two others who have developed HUS or an acute kidney injury (AKI). His law firm filed both the first and second lawsuits in the nation in this outbreak against McDonald's Corporation in Chicago, Ill.
According to Simon, “HUS is a dangerous and life-threatening illness and can lead to the need for life-long monitoring and treatment, including kidney transplants. The longer a young person is on dialysis, the more difficult their medical future will likely be. We are working with Kamberlyn's family to make sure she receives the very best medical treatment and advice.
“This sort of illness is as preventable as it is tragic. Our team will continue to seek justice for those who have suffered from this outbreak. We can and will find out how this happened so that we can prevent it from happening again.”
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