Carbon Monoxide Poisoning » carbon monoxide

Wisconsin Woman Died Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning In Trailer Fire ppe

Gordon Johnson — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:54:23 +0000

A Chippewa Falls, Wis., woman died following a trailer home fire last week was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a report released Wednesday by the local fire department.

The victim was Kathleen Lindsey, who apparently was overcome by carbon monoxide while trying to escape her burning trailer home at 3 a.m. last Friday, according to the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/daily_updates/article_bb7e36ae-9482-11e1-8427-0019bb2963f4.html

Lindsey was discovered unconscious at her trailer home in Indianhead Trailer Court, located in south Chippewa Falls. She was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls, and was pronounced dead there, the Leader-Telegram reported.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any smoke alarms in Lindsey’s trailer.

According to the fire department report, the fire started in the living room, possibly caused by a cigarette, while Lindsey was asleep in a bedroom, the Leader-Telegram reported.

The fire likely used up all the oxygen in the trailer before the smoke and heat got to the bedroom and woke up Lindsey, the fire department said. She woke up and left her bedroom, but apparently didn’t make it any farther than a hallway inside the trailer’s rear entry door.

An autopsy found that the carbon monoxide level in Lindsey’s blood was 77.9 percent, according to the Leader-Telegram. Levels higher than 30 percent are lethal. Authorities believe that the woman was rendered unconscious by the high level of carbon monoxide in her trailer, and never made it out the read door.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://carbonmonoxide-poisoning.com
http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Five Die Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning In Washington, D.C., Suburb

Gordon Johnson — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:58:43 +0000

Five Salvadoran immigrants died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning Tuesday in a home in Oxon Hill, Md., according to The Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/five-killed-in-oxon-hill-home-by-apparent-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/2012/04/24/gIQArPHefT_story.html

The son of one of the five victims discovered their bodies in the brick house they dwelled in, which is located in a suburb of Washington, D.C. The bodies were strewn around the house on Shelby Drive.

Authorities in Prince George’s County are blaming a a carbon monoxide leak, from a rusted exhaust pipe that separated from a natural gas furnace, for the deaths, according to The Post. Police told the paper that the pipe, which is supposed to ventilate the carbon monoxide that results from the combustion of gas in the furnace, deteriorated as it aged.

Firefighters detected carbon monoxide levels of 140 parts per million at the front door of the home, The Post reported. That compares to the zero to 5 parts per million that is considered normal and the the 30 parts per million that can kill. Inside the house, the carbon monoxide level went as high a s560 parts per million, according to The Post.

The victims were identified as Oscar Chavez, 57, Sonia Maribel Leiva, 54, Nora Leiva, 57, Francisco Javier Gomez Segovia, 33, and Nelson Enrique Landaverde Alas, 44. The Post reported. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The group included a married couple, the sister of the wife, and two male family friends.

West Virginia Hotel Faces Third Lawsuit Over Fatal Carbon Monoxide Leak

Gordon Johnson — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:08:09 +0000

A third lawsuit has been filed over a carbon monoxide leak at a Charleston, W.Va., hotel that killed one guest and injured other lodgers.

The newest suit was filed April 10 by Shirley and Tony Linn, who live in Patterson, La., according to The State Law Journal. The lawsuit charges that Shirley was permanently injured after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites.

http://www.statejournal.com/story/17514669/three-lawsuits-filed-in-south-charleston-carbon-monoxide-leak

There was also a suit filed earlier this month by Bain and Dawn Edmondson. That action alleges that Bain sustained personal injuries from the Jan. 30-31 carbon monoxide leak at the Holiday Inn.

The first lawsuit filed in the incident, lodged on March 14, was by Louise Moran. She is the widow of William Moran, who was killed at the hotel. He and Edmondson were sharing a room at the hotel in South Charleston. They were in town to do work on a hangar at Yeager Airport.

The three lawsuits name as defendants: Pikes Inc.; Holiday Inn Express Hotel; general manager Manisha Patel; Premier Pools and employees Steve and Karen Combs; Holiday Hospitality Franchising Inc.; Intercontinental Hotels Group Resources Inc.; and Intercontinental Hotel Group PLLC.

The lawsuits allege that Premier, while replacing the hotel’s pool heater, disconnected a vent pipe. Carbon monoxide then seeped from the pool area to hotel rooms, according to the suit.

Four Treated For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Caused By Water Heater

Gordon Johnson — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:23:36 +0000

Four people, including two toddlers, in Antelope, Calif., were sent to the hospital Saturday morning for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to KRCA’s website.

http://www.kcra.com/r/30853114/detail.html

Firefighters were called to a home on Little Rock Drive, where a 23-year-old woman and 17-year-old female youth said that they were nauseous and had headaches, KCRA reported. There was also a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old in the house.

The responders immediately suspected that carbon monoxide was making the residents ill, and tested the air in the home. They discovered high levels of carbon monoxide, and immediately shut the gas to the house, according to KCRA. They let the dangerous fumes escape by opening the windows and doors.

Authorities suspect that the carbon monoxide came from a water heater that wasn’t correctly vented, KCRA reported.

The home didn’t have a carbon monoxide detector, as required by law. Effective last July, single-family homes in the Golden State were required to install carbon monoxide detectors.

That mandate becomes effective for leased or rented multi-family dwellings, including apartments, by Jan. 1, 2013, according to KCRA.

Missouri Couple Dies Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Gordon Johnson — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:04:47 +0000

A eldery couple in Missouri died of carbon monoxide poisoning last Sunday, a tragedy that authorities are blaming on recent odd weather patterns, according to KRVI-TV onlone.

http://fox2now.com/2012/04/04/firefighters-warn-residents-after-couple-dies-from-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/

The married couple, whose names had not been released, were discovered in their home in Florissant by a neighbor.

Police and firefighters blamed the deaths on carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to the TV station, all the homes in the neighborhood where the couple was lived were brick and constructed in the 1950s. These homes are on concrete slabs with with radiant heating, with cooling systems added on late. The cooliung systems have a separate thermostat than the heater.

It was hot in the St. Louis area, so the air conditioner in the deceased couple’s home was turned on. But during the night, when the temperature cooled down, the thermostat for the heating turned on the heat.

Investigators claim that the the two competing thermostats, as well as a blocked flue, resulted in the carbon monoxide poisoning.

In order to warn others in the neighborhood of the potential danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, firefighters went from house to house, KVRI reported.

Authorities advised homeowners not to have two thermostats, only one, or to check that one is always off. People were also advised to install carbon monoxide detectors in their bedrooms.

Sister Of Man Killed By Carbon Monoxide In W.Va. Hotel Lauds State’s New Law

Gordon Johnson — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:00:02 +0000

Laurie Pendergast is taking action to ensure that her brother’s death wasn’t in vain.

The Rhode Island woman is pushing for legislation across many states to mandate that hotels have carbon monoxide detectors, according to a story posted online by the TV station WPRI.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence/ri-woman-initiates-life-saving-law-carbon-monoxide-bill-moran-laurie-pendergast

Pendergast’s brother, Bill Moran, earlier this year died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in South Charleston, W. Va.

Moran’s death prompted West Virginia’s state Senate to quickly introduce a bill that makes it mandatory for hotels, motels, dorms and nursing homes to install carbon monoxide detectors, according to WPRI.

The bill was introduced roughly one month from the day when Moran died.

Pendergast told WPRI that she wants other states to pass a similar law, and that she plans to go to West Virginia to see its hotel carbon monoxide detector bill signed into law.

Tennessee Passes Law Ordering Carbon Monoxide Detectors In Rental RVs

Gordon Johnson — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:25:17 +0000

Here’s a law that I’d like to see instituted in more states.

On Wednesday Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill into law that mandates that recreational vehicles that are rented out must have carbon monoxide detectors, WRIR-TV’s website reported.

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/211032/2/Gov-passes-law-requiring-carbon-monoxide-detectors-in-rental-RVs

That law represents a smart government response to a tragedy last year, when five people died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a biker charity event in the town of Clarksville, Tenn., according to www.wbir.com.

In that fatal incident, there was a generator operating near a vent for the trailer where the five victims were sleeping.

The new Tennessee law says that all RV lease or rental contracts have to include a statement guaranteeing that the vehicle has a working carbon monoxide detector.

It’s a great law, and other states should follow suit.

Elderly Man Dies, Two Others Hospitalized, For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Near Pittsburgh

Gordon Johnson — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:26:19 +0000

One man was killed and two others were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning Saturday in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa., according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12070/1215854-55.stm

The victims were discovered when police in Baldwin Borough got a call at about 10 p.m. about a car left running in a garage.

The fatality, John Stephenson, 87, was dead at the scene on Keenan Drive, the Post-Gazette reported.

Two unidentified people were transported to a local hospital for treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. Their condition wasn’t known.

Keyless-Car Ignitions Claim More Victims: When Is Detroit Going To Do Something?

Gordon Johnson — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:12:29 +0000

Beware: A keyless-car ignition is once again being blamed for carbon-monoxide poisoning fatalities. And people are suing automakers over the issue.

Last weekend in Boca Raton, Fla., elderly Adele Ridless and Mort Victor were found dead in the bedroom of their home, apparent victims of carbon monoxide poisoning when they left their car running, according to a story in Hernando Today.

http://www2.hernandotoday.com/news/opinion/2012/mar/07/haopino1-florida-needs-carbon-monoxide-detectors-ar-366334/

Ridless, 69, and Victor, 79, had gone out to eat and returned home, apparently leaving their keyless ignition Mercedes running in their garage. There is a double tragedy here, due to lax regulations regarding both keyless ignitions and laws on carbon monoxide detectors.

A story in Hernando Today pointed out that Florida’s laws regarding carbon monoxide detectors are less than stringent. In the Sunshine States, the law only requires hotels, motels, and buildings put up after July 2008 that have fossil-fuel burning heaters, appliances or fireplaces to install carbon monoxide detectors.

Simply put, that’s ridiculous, especially in light of the fact that in 2010 35 Florida residents died of carbon monoxide poisoning, an increase from 18 in 2001, according to Hernando Today.

The second obvious lesson in all this is that auto makers need to install automatic shutoffs or warning systems for car owners with keyless ignitions.

According to ABC News, the Center for Auto Safety is aware of six deaths that it’s blaming on push-button starters. The safety group is asking automakers (160 car models now have a keyless-starter option) to go back to old-fashioned keys. Since there is no key in an ignition to turn off, drivers sometimes forget to turn their cars off, leaving running and spewing potentially fatal fumes.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hazards-keyless-car-ignitions-dangerous/story?id=15874018#.T1mV0nnDUco

Some people who have been in that situation, who have owned push-button starts cars and allegedly suffered losses, have filed against some car manufacturers, according to ABC. Mary Rivera is one of the plaintiffs.

ABC interviewed Rivera, a Long Island, N.Y., resident who unfortunately knows all too well the dangers of keyless car ignitions. In 2009 she inadvertently left her Toyota running in her garage. Her husband died of carbon monoxide poisoning, while Rivera, unconscious, was rescued by her brother.

Toyota told ABC that its autos sound an alarm if a motorist leaves one of its cars without shutting if off. I guess that warning didn’t sound off in Rivera’s case.

An official with the Center for Auto Safety conceded to ABC that drivers have to be held partially to blame for leaving their cars running, but added “the cost of forgetfulness should not be death by carbon monoxide.”

The National Traffic Safety Administration is also lobbying for automakers to “standardize all the push-button starters to avoid confusion,” according to ABC. It needs to advocate much stronger safeguards, such as warning alarms, for the button-style car starters.

Two West Virginia Motels Shut Down For Carbon Monoxide Violations

Gordon Johnson — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 06:32:33 +0000

Two West Virginia motels were evacuated and shut down Wednesday because they posed a threat of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to WSAZ-TV’s website.

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/141774083.html

The American Inn and the Budget Inn in Hurricane, West Va., were ordered closed following a routine fire inspection Wednesday morning, according to Hurricane Fire Chief Frank Stover. The two motels are situated on Hurricane Creek Road.

One of Stover’s inspectors discovered potentially dangerous gaps, due to improper gas caps, in some of the pipes in the two motels.

The motels had single-wall pipes going into triple-wall pipes, and “this poses a threat because the pipes aren’t properly sealed and gas could leak out of them,” according to WSAZ.com. There was also a problem with wiring in an attic.

After an inspector found the violations he had the 15 occupants of the motels evacuated and ordered the closed.

Motel employees and guests were tested for carbon monoxide poisoning, but none needed medical attention, WSAZ.com reported.

The Hurricane Fire Department also contacted state officials about the two motels, which Stover told WSAZ.com would remain closed until the violations are addressed.

Stover was quoted as saying that he didn’t want the kind of situation that South Charleston had in January, when one man died and more than a dozen became sick as the result of a carbon monoxide leak in a Holiday Inn Express.