A Montana woman died after eating poisonous morel mushrooms and going into full cardiac arrest.
Donna Ventura, 64, visited Dave’s Sushi restaurant for lunch with her husband, Jon, and friends on April 17, 2023, according to People.com.
Jon said his wife chose “the special roll” which contained “uncooked morel mushrooms.”
Donna fell seriously ill within an hour after eating the sushi roll. She was in extreme pain and unable to speak.
Donna was rushed to a hospital, but she went into “full cardiac arrest” in the ambulance.
“It was surreal to think that the simple act of eating lunch would end up putting her in the intensive care unit,” Jon said.
The poison mushrooms damaged the lining of Donna’s esophagus and she was in extreme pain.
Doctors wanted to put in a feeding tube, but Donna refused, despite her husband’s pleas.
She died 12 days later from multiple organ failure.
50 customers fell ill after eating sushi and morel mushrooms at the same restaurant. Two were hospitalized and one other person died.
Dave’s Sushi owner Aaron Parker previously told The Montana Free Press that he was “blindsided” by the food poisoning outbreak at his establishment.
In July 2023, health officials determined that uncooked morel mushrooms (pictured) were responsible for the deadly outbreak at the restaurant.
According to the mushroom-appreciation blog, there are 18 types of morel mushrooms, but some are poisonous.
Morel mushrooms that are safe to eat are hollow inside (pictured). Poisonous morel mushrooms are filled with white “cottony fibers or chunks of tissue.”
The blog cautioned morel mushroom lovers to slice the mushrooms open. If they are hollow inside, they are safe to cook and eat.
“That’s what is so scary about this, that some of the most trained, talented chefs in the country don’t know about these risks,” Parker said.
Jon has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant.
