THE sole survivor of a deadly mushroom lunch that killed three “will likely” wake from his coma – and could reveal exactly what happened.
Ian Wilkinson was the only person to make it out alive following the poisoned beef wellington dish served up by Erin Patterson in Leongatha, Australia, on July 29.
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Erin hosted the lunch with her former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson – and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson plus her husband Ian, after her ex, Simon Patterson, allegedly pulled out last minute.
After eating the meal – which allegedly included poisonous mushrooms – the guests became violently ill and Gail, 70, Heather, 66, and Don, 70, later died.
Ian, however, remains in hospital in a critical condition, awaiting a liver transplant but “will likely survive” as he was dashed to a hospital known for its expertise in treating poisoning victims, Daily Mail Australia revealed.
The pastor is being treated in the Austin Hospital in Melbourne after suffering from severe injury to his liver from the toxins of the death cap mushrooms he allegedly ate at the lunch.
A hospital insider told Daily Mail Australia that he was rushed to the state’s poison centre – despite it being the furthest away medical facility in the area – as “they’re more interested in dealing with the mushrooms than the intensive care part of it”.
They also revealed that Ian is suspected to come out of the situation alive because if the medical professionals considered him to be “that unwell”, they would have sent him to a facility better known for its intensive care unit.
As Ian is expected to need an urgent liver transplant, the insider claimed that he is also likely to survive as major organ donations are not generally supplied unless medics are “certain the patient will wake up”.
But the survivor is not predicted to wake up instantly – even if he does get the transplant.
“It takes a couple of days and quite often someone wakes up and then they crash and they have to quickly put them under again and it can take two or three times before their body kicks into gear,” the source told Daily Mail Australia.
They also believe that the man is likely still under heavy sedation after spending days on life support which have been keeping him alive.
It comes as Erin gave her first detailed account of the deadly lunch in a written statement to Victoria Police, which was later obtained by the ABC.
She revealed she was hospitalised after the lunch with bad stomach pains and diarrhoea, put on a saline drip and given a “liver protective drug”.
And the mum-of-two admitted lying to cops when she told them she had dumped a food dehydrator at a local tip “a long time ago” – which was later seized by cops.
Erin said she was at the hospital with her kids “discussing the food dehydrator” when her ex-husband asked: “Is that what you used to poison them?”
Worried she might lose custody of the couple’s children, Erin said she then panicked and dumped the dehydrator at the tip.
Erin outlined the events of the fateful day for the first time in her statement.
She said she served the meal and allowed the guests to choose their own plates – and she also ate a portion of the beef wellington herself.
The mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms from a major supermarket chain, and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store in Melbourne months before, she added.
ABC said she didn’t provide any more information about the grocery store.
I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved
Erin Patterson
Erin said she was taken by ambulance from the Leongatha Hospital to the Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne on July 31.
Gippsland Southern Health Service confirmed a fifth person came to Leongatha Hospital on July 30 with suspected food poisoning.
As her guests fell ill, Erin said she was contacted by the Department of Health and asked about the deadly meal.
She said she kept some of the lunch and gave it to toxicologists for examination.
And despite reports of her children being at the meal, Erin said the kids had gone to the movies before the lunch.
Her children ate the leftovers the following night – but the kids don’t like mushrooms so she scraped them off, she said.
Erin said: “I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones.
“I am hoping this statement might help in some way.
“I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement.
“I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones.
“I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.”
The mum also confirmed that her ex-husband, Simon, had planned to join the fatal lunch but told her “prior to the day” that he would not be coming.
She paid tribute to her former parents-in-law – and said she had been close to them for a long time.
“I had been close with Simon’s parents for a long period of time. Our relationship had continued in a fairly amicable way after I finished the relationship with their son Simon,” she said.
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Taryn Pedler
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