(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Exposing the potential dangers lurking in fast food, a heartbreaking tragedy struck an American family when a six-year-old kid died from an E. coli infection after eating at McDonald’s.
Angelica Vazquez of Springfield fell ill after consuming a cheeseburger at a McDonald’s in Western Massachusetts.
The tragedy unfolded quickly. Angelica ate the fast-food meal on Halloween, and by the next day, she was vomiting and complaining of stomach pain.
The situation took a tragic turn when Angelica passed out and went into cardiac arrest, dying just 12 hours later at Baystate Medical Center.
Her mother Samantha Ocasio, like many parents, initially thought it was just a common stomach bug. Sadly, this delay in recognizing the severity of E. coli symptoms proved fatal.
Now, Ocasio is on a mission to raise awareness about E. coli to prevent similar tragedies.
“I don’t want it to happen to anybody else’s kids. I don’t wish this on anybody at all,” Ocasio said, emotionally upset.
Adding insult to injury, Ocasio discovered the cause of her daughter’s death through the funeral home, not the hospital.
While a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s onions affected 75 people in 13 states, no cases were initially reported in Massachusetts.
McDonald’s has since stopped selling burgers with the affected onions and switched suppliers. However, this comes too late for Angelica and her family.
The fast-food giant expressed condolences but maintained that no E. coli cases have been linked to their restaurants in Massachusetts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that children under 5, adults over 65 and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for E. coli infections.
With about 265,000 cases each year in the U.S., some argue that food safety regulations are failing to protect the most vulnerable citizens.
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