A man who survived after eating a death cap mushroom in spaghetti bolognese made by his wife has spoken out.
A death cap mushroom survivor shared his harrowing experience after consuming a seemingly innocuous dish of spaghetti bolognese prepared by his wife, only to discover it was tainted with poisonous fungi – the same toxic mushroom now linked to a suspected poisoning in Victoria.
The shocking incident occurred in 1998, shedding new light on the recent Leongatha tragedy in Victoria’s Gippsland region that claimed three lives and has sent shockwaves across the globe.
Simon Claringbold, then a robust and athletic 39-year-old, was accustomed to running marathons and living an active lifestyle when he unknowingly ingested the deadly fungi.
He told ABC’s 730 program he picked the fungi in his backyard in Canberra earlier in the day, thinking they were field mushrooms, were actually death caps. His wife then cooked them into a spaghetti bolognese.
A mere 18 hours after consuming the contaminated meal, his health took a catastrophic nosedive.
Violently ill and rapidly deteriorating, he was swiftly rushed to the hospital, beginning an arduous battle for his life.
Unbeknown to Mr Claringbold, the foraged mushrooms he had collected from his own backyard in Canberra were not the benign field mushrooms he believed them to be.
Instead, they were the infamous death cap mushrooms, responsible for numerous poisonings and fatalities due to their potent toxin content.
The same variety is understood to be implicated in recent tragic events that unfolded in Leongatha.
Mr Claringbold’s survival from the ordeal was attributed to sheer luck, a stark contrast to the unfortunate victims in Leongatha.
Medical experts explained that death cap mushrooms can vary significantly in their toxicity, making it a game of chance for those who inadvertently ingest them.
“Their toxin levels aren’t going to be consistent; it’s not like taking a pill out of a bottle,” Mr Claringbold emphasised to 730, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the poison.
Flowers have been left at the front of Erin Patterson’s home where three people died eating Death Cap mushrooms from a meal she had cooked. Picture: Jason Edwards
His distressing journey began with intense vomiting and diarrhoea, prompting a visit to his general practitioner.
Swift action by the doctor, who recognised the severity of the situation, led to Mr Claringbold’s emergency transfer to Canberra Hospital.
Mr Claringbold vividly recalled the moment he clutched a portion of the mushroom in a paper bag, unknowingly preserving vital evidence.
Upon arrival at the hospital, a liver specialist swiftly identified the mushroom in question, confirming its deadly nature.
Mr Claringbold’s health spiralled further as the toxins infiltrated his body, leading to hallucinations and moments of blackout.
“I was preparing for the end, I really thought it was the end. The lights were starting to go out,” he recounted.
Remarkably, Mr Claringbold defied the odds, emerging from the ordeal after an 11-day hospitalisation.
New info comes to light on fateful meal
The tragedy that unfolded in regional Victoria — where Gail and Don Patterson died following a shared meal, allegedly contaminated with death cap mushrooms, has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community.
The circumstances surrounding the fateful meal have taken a bewildering turn as new information has come to light.
Ms Patterson maintained her innocence. Picture: Jason Edwards
Erin Patterson, the 48-year-old ex-wife of the Pattersons’ son Simon Patterson who allegedly prepared the meal, had reportedly invited the family over for lunch to negotiate a reconciliation.
The lunch was intended as an intervention, mediated by a pastor, aimed at mending fractured relationships.
Simon Patterson’s eleventh-hour withdrawal from the gathering, as revealed by a close friend, spared him from a potential encounter with the toxic dish.
Police investigations have extended to analyse a discarded dehydrator found at a local tip, potentially linked to the tragic deaths.
Leave a Reply