[FlameDad]

Excerpt From AP Story:

BLACKSBURG, Va. - A carbon monoxide leak at an off-campus apartment complex critically sickened two Virginia Tech students and sent 17 other people to hospitals Sunday, police said.

Five women, all students, were found unconscious in their beds in a unit at the Collegiate Suites complex, Capt. Bruce Bradbery said.

Two were taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, where they were in critical condition, he said. Their three roommates were taken to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

Two of the women taken to Duke could breathe on their own but remained unresponsive, Bradbery said; another he described as semiconscious. All three were in serious condition, authorities said.
The leak came the day Virginia Tech dedicated a memorial to the 32 people killed by a student gunman in April. Fall semester classes begin Monday.

Bradbery said he was at the dedication ceremony when he got the call about the injuries.

"Enough's enough," Bradbery said. "We've got four kids here who are just clinging to life.".

Sue Lindsey - AP - http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?c ... vqh=itn_VT

[PAmedic]

bad news.

1. seems as though this was a complex NOT under control of the school- but you have to wonder WHY they didn't have hardwired CO detectors along with the fire alarm system? Even if code doesn't require it in this type of occupancy, as a landlord you'd have to be crazy to risk a public catastophe of this magnitude (or larger) by failing to install them.

2. brain damage from lack of O2/perfusion occurs in 8-10 minutes. Depending on how long these kids were down- this is NOT good. The fact that they have an (apparently) intact respiratory drive is a positive sign, but this does not bode well for brain function as a whole.

hoping and praying for the best.

Should be a warning for all you guys- esp those w/ propane or natural gas heat, cooking appliances or washer/dryers- INSTALL CO detectors in proximity to those appliances or at least in the vicinity of your sleeping quarters. And check the batteries in them AND your smoke detectors every fall and spring.

[El Scorcho]

Not to make light of a terrible situation, but after covering this on the morning news, NBC's "Today" show moved on to a story about Fall semester beginning at Virginia Tech. They interviewed a Senior at VT who had this to say:

It's like Spring when everything is new again. The flowers bloom, the trees are green and everything is new. Only, this is in the Fall.

Bang up analogy there, buck-o. I got hearty laugh out of it.

[shukcb04]

well at least it didnt kill people like it did at roanoke college the other year ago.