MILTON, Ga. — A week after a carbon monoxide leak sickened seven people and killed a beloved teacher, a mother and daughter are still in the hospital.
Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik was in North Fulton County, where he talked to the victims’ family members.
Milton fire investigators said a car accidentally left running in high school teacher Patricia Mann’s garage sent the dangerous, odorless gas into her townhome and those around her off Regatta Drive.
Mann did not survive.
Madesta Jackson said the leak sent her mother, sister and brother all to the hospital and killed the family’s dog. Crews had to LIfeFlight the family to a South Carolina hospital for special hyperbaric chamber treatments. Jackson’s brother has since been released, but her mother and sister remain unconscious.
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“We need to take heed that it’s serious,” Jackson said. “You don’t think something like this could happen. I think a lot of people are naive to it. This is unreal.”
According to the CDC, more than 400 people die in the U.S. every year from CO poisoning and 50,000 people end up in the emergency room because of it.
Milton’s deputy fire chief says having carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home is important.
“People don’t know that they’re smelling it until they know the effects of it, unless they have alarms in their house and the alarms go off,” he said. “In which case, they need to get outside as soon as possible.”
He called it a preventable accident.
Jackson’s family has set up a Paypal account for people to donate to help with their medical expenses.
“Whatever the community can do for the most beautiful souls would be very helpful, because my mom would do it for them,” Jackson said.
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