The trauma the sole survivor of the deadly Leongatha mushroom lunch faced as he continues his miraculous recovery in hospital – and now he’s set to help police
- Four people poisoned during family lunch in Leongatha
- Three died from poisoned beef Wellington
- Pastor Ian Wilkinson remains in hospital
- Concern over a mushroom meal
EXCLUSIVE
The sole survivor of a deadly poisoned mushroom lunch is making great progress in his recovery – with hopes he can soon help detectives.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only person to survive the poisoned beef Wellington served on July 29 by housewife Erin Patterson in Leongatha, Victoria.
Daily Mail Australia has learned Mr Wilkinson recently had a hospital scare when staff served mushroom fettuccine to patients around him.
Erin Patterson is pictured outside her home days after serving the deadly meal
Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became seriously ill after eating wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died while her husband remains in hospital
A source told Daily Mail Australia that family members of Mr Wilkinson, still incapacitated, were horrified when staff started serving the mushroom dish.
Mr Wilkinson, 68, remains in Austin Hospital in Melbourne after suffering traumatic liver injuries from toxins he allegedly consumed at the lunch.
Mr Wilkinson, his wife Heather, his sister Gail and her husband Don Patterson had been invited to lunch as part of a “mediation”. meeting to discuss Ms Patterson’s relationship with her ex-husband Simon, who pulled out at the last minute.
The source claimed distraught family members confronted staff over the dish but were told they would only stop serving the meal if Mr Wilkinson had a specific mushroom allergy.
“He’s not here for an allergy, so there was nothing they could do,” the source said. “They weren’t happy.”
Austin Hospital has not denied the incident. “At Austin Health, we offer an extensive menu including a number of dishes from different cuisines,” a spokeswoman said.
“We are unable to release information relating to individual meals received by patients.”
The source further claimed that Mr Wilkinson had made great strides in his recovery – despite not having had a liver transplant.
Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Erin was previously married to their son, Simon
Ian Wilkinson stays in Austin hospital (photo)
Simon Patterson Was Supposed To Join His Parents For The Lunch That Killed Them
Last month, Simon Patterson told mourners at a memorial service for his parents that his father, two years older than Mr Wilkinson, had undergone a liver transplant before dying.
It remains unclear why Mr Wilkinson did not have a transplant.
The source said Mr Wilkinson was too ill to speak to detectives, who continue to investigate how and why the four victims were poisoned.
Mr Wilkinson may hold the key to what really happened.
Daily Mail Australia revealed last month that Mr Wilkinson likely only survived because he was rushed to a hospital known for expertise in treating patients suffering from poisoning.
A hospital insider told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Wilkinson was not taken to Austin Hospital – recognized as the referral hospital for Victoria’s most seriously ill patients – for a reason specific that probably saved his life.
“The Austin was not the natural hospital to go to. From Leongatha the nearest hospital is Monash Medical Center – that’s where they usually go. They basically went to the hospital as far away as possible,” the source said.
“The main intensive care unit, and you need the best, you go to the Alfred or the Royal Melbourne. They didn’t do it either. The state poison control center is in Austin, that’s why he went there. This means they are more interested in mushrooms than intensive care.
Simon Patterson paid tribute to his parents at a memorial last month
The final resting places of Don and Gail Patterson in Korumburra
