Helena, MT – The build-up of snow on a rooftop almost claimed the lives of the Van Luchene family of Helena last week.
In the early morning hours of February 28th, the Van Luchenes were awakened by an odd odor. It was then that their nin-year old son began thrashing in their bed, struggling to breathe.
Derek Van Luchene explained, “My wife was the first one to get up and she had had such high levels of carbon monoxide that you know, she collapsed right away and that’s when we really noticed something wasn’t right in the house…from the smell, and then we had a bad taste in our mouths.”
Derek says he went downstairs to investigate, and that’s when he found their cat and their dog overcome by the fumes.
Their daughter, who was sleeping in another room with the door closed, seemed fine.
The family of four was immediately rushed to St. Peter’s Hospital and treated with oxygen.
Fortunately, they made it out of the house in time.
“If we would have had another 30 minutes in that environment, we’d be unconscious. We wouldn’t have been able to get out,” said Derek.
A heater repair technician was called to the home, but could find no apparent problems with the heating system.
Van Luchene warns people to be aware of the dangers of snow and debris covering vents and to make sure homes have a carbon monoxide detector.
He said, “Over time stuff blew in there and then it stuck to that screen which was inside here, which created the block. Make sure that you’ve got carbon monoxide testers in your house, throughout your house on every level.”
Besides suffering from side effects of headaches and general illness, the family is grateful to be alive.
“We were really lucky to make it out with our lives,” sighed Derek with relief.