Tue Aug 28, 2007
The Lake of the Ozarks has seen a record number of deaths involving alcohol and boating
this summer. Yet, another substance has also been to blame for accidents and deaths on
the water.
Every year, carbon monoxide poisoning from boat generators and exhaust pipes kill or
injure people on the water. The lake averages about two carbon monoxide poisonings each
month and many victims end up in the Lake Regional Emergency Room.
People often inhale carbon monoxide while swimming behind a boat while the motor is
running. But staying inside a houseboat or cabin cruiser is also risky.
"People will like go down into the cabin to take a nap, and they're not running their blowers
and stuff, so people can actually become overcome while they're actually asleep," said
Dr. John Loney of the Lake Regional Emergency Room.
In 1999 Captain Walz of the Missouri State Water Patrol witnessed such a tragedy when
four people didn't show up for work after a weekend on their cabin cruiser boat.
"And I actually responded to that location, and saw down into the cabin cruiser that there
were people lying down there that were not conscious or breathing," he said.
All four people were dead when officers arrived. In this case, some of those on the boat
had been drinking. Alcohol has been a common denominator in several carbon monoxide
poisonings since symptoms like nausea or vomiting are often associated with drinking
alcohol.
"If they are intoxicated, they may just think that the alcohol causes those effects when in
reality it may be the alcohol with the combination of carbon monoxide together," Walz said.
Walz said the 1999 accident and many other carbon monoxide injuries could have been
prevented with carbon monoxide detectors or pre-season inspections that might uncover
exhaust problems. The water patrol also said there are precautions to take while on the
lake to minimize exposure to carbon monoxide. Don't swim near exhaust pipes or holes,
keep the boat engine turned off while swimming, and make sure fresh air can enter the
inside of boats while generators and engines are running.

The Aug. 8 boat explosion at Bay Point Marina on Pretty Lake Avenue was an accident
caused by propane gas buildup in the cabin of the boat, investigators with Norfolk Fire-
Rescue have concluded.

The blast destroyed a 42-foot sailboat and sent debris flying 40 feet into the air, seriously
injuring a man.

The boat was being prepared for the installation of a new motor, the department said. A
hose supplying gas for cooking either leaked or accidently was cut, investigators concluded.
Investigators have not determined what ignited the gas.

Fire investigators have still not been able to speak with the injured man because of his
ongoing medical treatment. His identity has not been released. Battalion Chief Bruce Evans
said federal privacy law prevents him from discussing the man's condition. The man was
not the owner of the boat, he said, but was working on it.

Witnesses and debris from the blast corroborate the department's findings, Evans said.

Mon Aug 6, 2007
A St. Louis couple poisoned by a carbon monoxide leak was rescued from their houseboat
Sunday morning along the Mississippi River, the Missouri Water Patrol said.
About 9 a.m., water patrol officers were called to help a woman, Mary Reichert, 48, of St.
Louis, who was screaming for help aboard a 42-foot-long Sea Ray cruiser near Two Branch
Island in St. Charles, the patrol said.
Officers found her husband, Richard Reichert, 59, unconscious on the boat. He apparently
passed out because of a carbon monoxide leak aboard the boat, the patrol said.
The Reicherts were flown by helicopter to St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis for treatment.
Richard Reichert had serious injuries. Mary Reichert had moderate injuries.
The boat's carbon monoxide detectors were not working, the patrol said.
Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odorless, colorless, tasteless gas produced by the burning of
carbon-based fuels, such as gasoline, charcoal and propane.
On boats, the gas is often emitted by engines, gas generators, cooking ranges and heaters,
according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The build-up of the gas inside boat cabins, hatches
or other enclosed areas is potentially deadly.

A hot summer day and an afternoon on the water nearly turned tragic. Several people
were hospitalized after being overcome by carbon monoxide in a boat.

It was a danger no one aboard this Cabin Cruiser could see, hear or smell. Passengers on
the 35-foot Vessel started feeling sick and two boys passed out. The apparent cause was
carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Unfortunately there was a leak in the exhaust,” said James Dalton of the FDNY Marine
Division. “Everyone was overcome.”

A distress call alerted FDNY marine unit officers who found the boat on the Brooklyn side
of Gateway National Recreation Area. A total of nine people were rescued. The boat was
taken to a U.S. Park Police dock near Fort Tilden.

The patients went to three different hospitals. One adult and two children went to Jacobi
Medical Center. Three children were taken to Coney Island Hospital. And an adult and two
children went to Peninsula Hospital.

All injuries are being called minor and everyone is expected to recover but this case shows
carbon monoxide poisoning happens on water as well as on land.

On Thursday, an un-vented generator turned a Mastic Beach Long Island home into a
death trap. Several members of the Cassaberry family got sick, and 19-year-old Emmanuel
Cassaberry died.

“It breaks my heart to think that something like this can happen nowadays,” said a neighbor.
The Mastic Beach incident happened after LIPA turned off the power because of delinquent
payments. What was different about the apparent poisoning on this boat and for the two
boys found unconscious on it was the quick action of rescuers who immediately administered
oxygen and performed CPR.