Australian woman Erin Patterson, 48, is suspected of intentionally killing three family members and critically wounding a fourth by feeding them a meal laced with death cap mushrooms last month.
As that investigation continues, an Australian man who miraculously survived eating the lethal fungus 25 years ago recently shared he felt like he was “preparing for the end” after reporting symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea to his doctor.
“He took one look at me and raced me to Canberra Hospital. And my wife gave me a part of the mushroom in a paper bag,” Simon Claringbold, from Canberra, told ABC 7.30, according to Sky News.
“The liver specialist there looked at the mushrooms and basically said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a death cap mushroom,'” continued Claringbold, who is in his 60s. “And they basically got me in an air ambulance, airlifted me to Royal Prince Alfred in Sydney, and I went into the acute liver ward.”
Death cap mushrooms can cause fatal kidney and liver failure, according to Wild Food UK.
Simon Claringbold said he consumed poisonous death cap mushrooms 25 years ago — but lived to tell the tale. ABC 7.30
Claringbold ate the mushrooms for dinner without realizing they are toxic.
Erin Patterson, 48, is suspected of fatally poisoning three of her lunch guests with death cap mushrooms. 7 NewsClaringbold mistakingly believed they were harmless when he picked them from his backyard, and his wife prepared them dinner.
“Seven days into it was probably the worst,” he recalled. “That’s when I started to black out, just see the tunnel vision and lights. I was lying down and was just barely conscious. I was preparing for the end, I really thought it was the end. The lights were starting to go out.”
The mushrooms typically grow under oak trees. They usually range in color from pale yellow-green to olive brown, while the ridges lining the underside of the cap are white, according to Sky News.
Eating just one of these mushrooms can be deadly.
Claringbold appears to have come away from the experience unscathed, receiving care from doctors at a hospital for 11 days.
Death cap mushrooms can cause gastrointestinal problems and liver failure. AFP via Getty Images
They can be fatal for those who consume them. De Agostini via Getty ImagesPatterson’s family members weren’t so lucky.
She allegedly cooked a beef wellington pie with the mushrooms on July 29 at her home in Leongatha.
Her 70-year-old former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail’s 66-year-old sister, Heather Wilkinson, died after going to the hospital.
Heather’s 68-year-old husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, remains in critical condition while he awaits a liver transplant.
Patterson is estranged from her husband, Simon.
Patterson has maintained her innocence. 7 News
Heather Wilkinson died after consuming the meal, while her husband, Ian Wilkinson, remains in critical condition. ProvidedAccording to the Times of London, a fifth person at the lunch also got sick, but was discharged from the hospital a short while later.
Authorities believe Patterson prepared the lunch using a food dehydrator that was later discarded in the trash. Forensic testing is said to be underway.
Patterson and her two children allegedly did not eat the same meal. She has not been charged with a crime and has denied wrongdoing.
“The loss to the community and to the families and my own children who have lost their grandmother… I just can’t fathom what has happened,” she said.
“I’m so sorry that they have lost their lives. I just can’t believe it. I didn’t do anything, I love them, and I’m devastated they are gone.”
