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Police rescued two victims of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is relatively common in the United States. It’s the leading cause of poisoning with some 20,000 emergency room admissions each year, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Locally, two more cases were added to the statistic when Southampton Town Police and members of the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance rescued two workers in Hampton Bays on Thursday afternoon, April 15.
At approximately 5 p.m. the Southampton Town Police dispatch center received a call reporting an unconscious male at a residence on Bay Avenue North. Officers found one person unconscious inside the residence and one semi-conscious person in a vehicle outside.
The residence was under construction and police said the two workers — a 39-year-old Patchogue man and a 45-year-old man from Medford — apparently had been working inside with a piece of equipment without proper ventilation and were overcome by carbon monoxide.
Hampton Bays Fire Department volunteers tested the air quality within the residence and found an extremely high reading on the carbon monoxide meter. Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance responded and transported the two to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead for treatment. The two victims were later transported to Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson for further treatment, where one victim remains in serious condition and the second is in stable condition.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by burning gasoline, wood, propane, charcoal or other fuel. Improperly ventilated appliances and engines, particularly in a tightly sealed or enclosed space, may allow carbon monoxide to accumulate to dangerous levels. Symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, weakness, nausea and dizziness. Prolonged exposure can cause a victim to lose consciousness, suffer brain damage or even die.
