Clewiston, FL – ClewistonHendry Regional Medical Center (HRMC) was put on high alert on Friday, March 8, after a carbon monoxide leak sent 25 people to its emergency room. Extra doctors and nurses rushed in to treat the farm laborers who had inhaled high levels of the deadly gas from a forklift that was being operated inside of a closed warehouse.
The incident happened at J&J Farms on County Road 835, according to a report released by Clewiston Fire Rescue.
According to sources, workers inside of a warehouse closed all of the building’s doors to keep warm — temperatures dipped into the low 40s that night. With the forklift running, workers began complaining of strong headaches.
The Clewiston Fire Department, EMS and other emergency dispatch centers arrived on the scene to assist the patients. Those afflicted showed immediate symptoms: pounding headaches, a profound fatigue, and an ashen skin tone.
The fire department detected high carbon monoxide levels and evacuated the warehouse.
The victims were then transported to HRMC, where emergency workers were initially notified that 11 patients were affected; this number would swell to 17, and then to a final count of 25.
Even with the number of patients being as high as it was, some patients were reporting that more people had been exposed to the carbon monoxide but were hesitant to be treated at the hospital because they lacked proper documentation, or felt it would be too expensive.
Nurses reportedly assured patients that anyone who needed aid would receive it. Hospital staff worked to make sure that everybody was okay.
Luckily it was not a disaster; no lives were lost, said Glenda Wilson, Hendry Regional Medical Center spokesperson, who explained that the hospital set up a command center to deal with the large number of patients. Patients were triaged immediately and were tended to with oxygen, while lab work was done to determine each patient’s condition.
According to hospital officials, 18 patients were treated and released, with another seven patients kept overnight for further observation.
[The victims] all complained about profound headaches and fatigue, explained Sandy Viall, HRMC Chief Nursing Officer, who noted that patients benefitted from the emergency help — evidenced by the return of each patient’s natural skin tone from its previous pall.
I am very proud of our staff, and proud of the emergency response, said Viall. They were awesome.