I received the following post on another list I belong to. While it
came off of a TRUCK list, it is still germain to us. I hope that
instead of deleting the post, you will take the minute or two it will
take to read it.
John
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From: "Brad Kahler" <brad.kahler@141.com>
To: triumphs@autox.team.net
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 20:07:05 -0600
Subject: (Fwd) [oletrucks] A horrifying ol' truck story....
Listers, this came from the Ole-trucks list and it sure seems like something
that we might all want to think about.
Brad
This is an account of a truly frightening experience of an old truck
owner, member of the Northern Cal Chev / GMC Truck Club on his way
home from the Truckin' Nationals in Paso Robles last weekend. I'm passing
it on to the group in hopes it will prevent it happing to YOU!
----------
Our trip back from Paso Robles ended with a horrifying experience.
Fortunately, everyone is fine this morning but our entire family spent
the night in the emergency room. We were all exposed to Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning (CO). I can't tell you how lucky we are to still be here.
Yesterday morning, sometime during the poker run, I figure, the last foot
or so of my tail pipe fell off. I noticed a new rattle so that was the only
reason I checked it out. I didn't really think much about it being a problem
other than I would need to repair it when I got home. Boy was I wrong!
We left the show at about 11 and drove over to the coast to have lunch.
We drove back, gassed-up and left Paso Robles at about 2:30. The truck club,
about 4 trucks, caught up with us right away on 101 and we stayed with
them to about King City. They pulled off for a break but we kept going
enjoying the ride in the sunny weather. We could see, however, that we were
heading into the storm.
At around Soledad, it began raining so we had to close some of the vents.
I suppose that is when the circumstances began causing the problem. At
around Salinas, we stopped for gas and it was really raining now so we
had to roll up the windows and turn on the defroster.
Somewhere south of Gilroy, I'm not sure where, Jeremy, our youngest woke
up in utter terror as if waking from a nightmare but it was 100 times worse!
He was screaming uncontrollably, his eyes were wide open but he was staring
up into his eyelids.
My wife pulled out the cell phone to call the Dr. but the battery was
dead.
He settled back down so I kept driving. I figured that it would be better
to get home rather than stop in the middle of nowhere in the driving rain.
I still had not put two and two together.
We arrived home. I pulled Jeremy from the truck immediately. He was
totally passed out and slumped like a wet rag. I tried to wake him and
fortunately he woke again screaming uncontrollably in terror.
After tending to Jeremy, I looked up to see my other son Gregory staggering
across the lawn. Uncontrollably, he walked and fell directly into a rose
bush. I was wondering what was going on. (He likes to spin around in our
swing, making himself dizzy and amuse himself trying to walk.) In my mind
I f igured that is what he had done. I then glanced over at the swing to
provide verification but the swing was hanging dead still. I knew at this
point that something was seriously wrong. I ran over to him pulling him off
the rose bush and HE was passed out! I managed to wake him and put him on
the front porch next to a screaming Jeremy.
I was yelling to my wife to call 911 and there was no response. When we had
arrived home, she told me she had to go to the bathroom so I figured that's
where she went. I went into the house and looked down the hallway--there
she was passed out on the floor lying in a puddle.
I was terrified. I called 911 and yelled for an ambulance to come to our
address. While on the phone with the dispatcher she kept telling me to get
everyone out of the house. I couldn't understand why. We had just gotten
home and hadn't even been in the house. I put everything together and
thought the carbon monoxide poisoning had to be it. I told her we had
been driving for several hours in my old truck. The firemen arrived with
oxygen tanks in hand and immediately put all four of us on oxygen. Then all
4 of
us were taken to the emergency room in 2 ambulances and were put on pure
oxygen for the rest of the night.
I thank the good Lord for watching over us. A few more moments of
exposure and we could have been goners.
My CO level in the blood was highest at 19%. A threshold, which is
considered server exposure, is 20%. Jeremy's was the lowest at 8%.
Catherine's was 18%, and Gregory's was 14%.
I am being very critical of myself right now in not realizing what was going
on sooner and taking more appropriate action. I did what I did. In these
situations, when your body is oxygen starved, one doesn't have the capacity
to think rationally. CO is an odorless gas and is more easily taken into
your blood than oxygen. You don't know what's happening to you as it is
happening to you. All the motivations to get home to safety, tend to an
ailing child, and get out of a driving rainstorm overrode my instincts to
get out of the truck.
It is important that we old truck lovers know that this stuff can happen and
that we pay attention to the signs and signals that something might be
wrong. It can mean the difference between life and death. Amongst all the
shiny chrome, slamming, tubbing, and restoring, etc. there's a dangerous
side to this hobby of which we all need to be reminded. If we don't pay
attention, there can be serious consequences.
I don't know what you want to do with this message Jim, but, you have my
permission to publish it in the newsletter or post it on the Web site
whatever. We need to remind (or educate in the first place) everyone of the
dangers that lurk. Hopefully we can prevent fatal or near fatal accidents in
the process.
Check your exhaust and seal up those leaks. Carbon Monoxide is a killer
and it will sneak up on you without you even knowing!
Happy to be alive!
Andrew Edwards
Footnote,
Catherine stated the blood tests were taken about one hour after they all had
been on pure oxygen. No telling what the % was when they got home! She also
stated they have a home CO detector that was given as a gift. Now it will
come out of the box and get put to use.
If goes without saying we're all grateful for their safe return home.
Andy, don't be too hard on yourself. The more CO you get, the less you
can reason.
It's a wonder you were able to drive home.
Jim
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John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va Phone: (757) 495-8229
48 TR1800 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V
71 Saab Sonett III 75 Bricklin SV1 77 Spitfire
www.team.net/www/morgan bricklin.shel.olsy-na.com/bi
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