Best Western Carbon Monoxide Leak in Pennsylvania Poisons Dozens
About 30 people were hospitalized and about 200 others may have been exposed to a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning at a Best Western in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, which was evacuated over the weekend.
The hotel carbon monoxide leak led all guests and visitors to the Scranton-area Best Western to be evacuated on Sunday, where they were checked by emergency response personnel. Those with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning were transported to a local hospital by school bus.
Firefighters traced the gas leak back to a malfunctioning furnace, and the hotel will remain closed until the full investigation is complete.
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Exposure to Carbon Monoxide Gas May Cause Permanent Brain Damage, Serious Injury or Death.
Learn More About this Lawsuit See If You Qualify Now >Carbon monoxide is a significantly toxic gas that has no irritating factors that can allow someone to detect its presence. It is the leading cause of fatal poisonings in the United States, and many people who survive exposure are left with permanent brain damage from carbon monoxide gas.
Many of those injured by carbon monoxide exposure may be unaware at the time and do not always appear to require hospitalization. Therefore, it is unknown how many of the 200 guests and visitors to the Dunmore Best Western may be impacted, as the length or levels of exposure have not yet been reported.
A similar incident in February led to the evacuation of a Westin Hotel near the BWI airport south of Baltimore, Maryland. In that case, elevated levels of carbon monoxide were found throughout the entire hotel, including some readings as high as 700-800 parts per million, which can cause serious and permanent brain damage even after an exposure of only a few hours. Any readings above 9 are considered high, and levels over 100 parts per million can cause headaches and other problems after as little as two hours.
The carbon monoxide leak at the BWI Westin was linked to a faulty flue assembly on a water heater in one of the hotel’s laundry rooms. However, the gas apparently travelled throughout the entire hotel, as high levels were detected on all floors.
According to the CDC, there are at least 430 carbon monoxide deaths each year in the United States, and more than 15,000 people require emergency room treatment following exposure to the gas annually.
3 Comments
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TimApril 7, 2015 at 4:38 am
My 3 sons and I where there. We all got sick and they did not even give us a refund on the room. we have stayed there several times. We will never stay there again.
LisaSeptember 2, 2014 at 3:05 pm
My family along with my pets were scheduled to stay there on Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st and checking out on Monday, September 1st. After riding all day on Saturday at Lost Trails we went over to the hotel to check in. When we got there a woman said to us that the hotel was closed. We figured that there were no reservations available. After further speaking with the woman she [Show More]My family along with my pets were scheduled to stay there on Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st and checking out on Monday, September 1st. After riding all day on Saturday at Lost Trails we went over to the hotel to check in. When we got there a woman said to us that the hotel was closed. We figured that there were no reservations available. After further speaking with the woman she told us that the hotel was closed due to carbon monoxide. I had made these reservations over 2 weeks ago to ensure that I a room was available to accommodate my family along with my pets due to the holiday weekend. According to the article this happened on August 25th. I was never notified that the hotel was closed (there was more than enough time to contact every one). We were fortunate enough to find a hotel close by that was able to accommodate us along with our pets. I have stayed at your hotel several times and have never had a problem. This however, has upset me a great deal. If there was not another hotel that was able to accommodate us we would have had to drive 2 hours back that night after being completely exhausted. I am asking for the following in compensation for my inconvenience, time and not to mention the stress that has occurred to both myself and my family:
Frequent BW Dunmore guestAugust 26, 2014 at 2:34 am
My family and I were guests at the time of the monoxide leak. My son tested positive for monoxide, but at a lower level than those requiring hospitalization. I assume many of the individuals that were injured as a result of this will be suing. Is there any talk of civil cases by guests that were not hospitalized, but had ruined vacations and travel plans as a result of the hotels actions?