carbon monoxide poisoning in motel deaths

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

There was no law broken as North Carolina doesnt require carbon monoxide detectors in commercial buildings.

That medical examiner is the one that should be the one arrested of not alerting and Best Western fined for improper ventilation of the heater for that pool.

I tried to look up to see how old it was and earliest trip advisor dated 2003.
Im curious why this year it was issue. Did all other people who stay in that room not have the level that created death or had head aches.

This makes me want to travel with carbon monoxide detector.

There are all kinds of code laws in most states about venting things from dryer lint to waste gases in motels and Inns, and even houses and apartments.

I had a code officer come to see a gas water heater in a apt i rented which exited inside a closet.

Code officer made my day.

Are you saying there are no codes for basic construction in that state?

[SunnyKayak]

No what I stated that NC doesn't require commercial buildings to have CO detectors.

Today investigators have made final ruling in the cause.
It was determine that it was a faulty heater at the pool and it doesnt appear to be same heater as the one that was certified in 2000 when the hotel opened.
It appears that is not the heater we approved so it is not permitted."
The one that was permitted the CO could exit with horizontal pipes. The new one that the hotel failed to have certified the CO must exit vertically.

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

No what I stated that NC doesn't require commercial buildings to have CO detectors.

Today investigators have made final ruling in the cause.
It was determine that it was a faulty heater at the pool and it doesnt appear to be same heater as the one that was certified in 2000 when the hotel opened.
It appears that is not the heater we approved so it is not permitted."
The one that was permitted the CO could exit with horizontal pipes. The new one that the hotel failed to have certified the CO must exit vertically.

So it was an illegal install with no permits applied for then? I am not there and so not able to see. In NH we have codes.... Screw the pooch and the whole thing goes down.... The permit officer goes and the rest all go down too.....

I saw a private home in Ar that was a wiring nightmare, but out there i guess anything goes.

[asitshouldbe]

That is scary, we stay in several motels each year. I'll have to add a carbon monoxide detector to my packing list everytime from now on.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by asitshouldbe

That is scary, we stay in several motels each year. I'll have to add a carbon monoxide detector to my packing list everytime from now on.

Dang, you got that right.

Back in the 1990s, our family was renting a home till we could move into base housing at Fort Hood. We didn't realize there was a faulty heater - every time it "kicked on" (and it would literally make a small boom sound at start up) it loosened a panel on the front of the unit, which allowed CO to escape slowly. Thankfully, it's not very cold in central Texas so the heat didn't stay on for long periods at a time - but we realized we were getting sick a lot, with no fevers, just general malaise, headaches, queasiness, fatigue, etc. Within one moth, all of us had been to the doctor at least twice and no one caught the classic symptoms of CO poisoning.

Then we had a cold snap over a weekend. By Saturday evening, we were all passed out - I was actually passed out on the floor in a pile of laundry. The only thing that saved my kids is that I had cracked a window in each of their rooms - the kids sleeping closest to the window had the lowest levels of CO in their blood. Since I was on the floor, I had the highest levels (CO is heavier than air). To this day, the doctors tell us that it's amazing that we woke up at all - but I did wake up. Actually, this may sound very weird, but I swear I heard a terrible, terrible voice in my head, filled with urgency, that was insistently saying over and over again, 'WAKE UP. WAKE UP." I didn't want to - I wanted to lay there and sleep forever. But finally I did wake up and sit up - and OMG, I've never felt a headache like that before. I literally thought I was having a stroke or something. I crawled over to my husband, who was passed out on the sofa, and shook him over and over again (feeling like everything was in slow motion) trying to tell him I thought I was dying. He finally woke up and immediately grabbed his head and said, "My head is exploding!" That's when we knew it was a matter of some sort of poisoning.

Long story short, about six ambulances and emergency vehicles showed up and we were all medivacced to San Antonio and spent about a week in the hyperbaric unit there. We nearly died. They didn't know for MONTHS whether or not we would have permanent brain damage, though two of the four kids seemed to be in pretty good shape, thank God.

I had the worst long term damage - with some memory loss, and some weakness on my left side, and balance issues. This was twenty plus years ago, and now, though I can tell a difference, no one else would be able to. It took me about six months to recover, and the rest of my family about three months. It was awful.

One thing I will say though is this - it's a painless way to go. You just slip into sleep. It's the waking up and recovery (if you're lucky) that's very hard. I can't even begin to describe the level of fatigue and fragility you feel. But it beats the alternative.

You cannot smell or taste or experience CO, so a detector is crucial. I would also recommend that anyone who has gas heat or appliances make it a practice to sleep with windows cracked in the bedrooms, if possible. This truly did save my childrens' lives.

AND GET YOUR HEATERS MAINTENANCED AND INSPECTED YEARLY.