Effects and Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The city of San Antonio, Texas, is widely considered one of the most popular destination cities for vacationing families. In 2015, Travel & Leisure magazine ranked San Antonio as #18 on the list of top 50 most desirable tourist destination cities in the US. With obvious attraction sites like the Riverwalk, the Alamo, and the updated Pearl Brewery complex downtown, tourism accounts for more than $13 billion annually to the local economy.

With all these new attractions and improvements across the city, the hospitality industry in San Antonio is constantly struggling to accommodate an overwhelming influx of tourists and travelers. Events like the Final Four tournament quickly fills up downtown hotels and motels with fans, friends, families, media, and college students headed for the Alamodome for a few days in March.

Unfortunately, Texas is one of the few states that does not require hotels and motels to uphold even a basic standard of carbon monoxide detection. At the same time, some of these hotels (especially older structures) still host outdated appliances like gas stoves, furnaces, and heaters, which are powered by fossil fuel and thus susceptible to creating carbon monoxide leaks.

San Antonio hotel rooms with shared ventilation and connected airways through walls and vents subject these temporary tenants to the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning at any moment. Carbon monoxide poisoning is invisible and deadly, and without alarms or detectors, hotels can create conditions for mass tragedy.

If you or someone you care about has been subjected to carbon monoxide poisoning by a hotel, business, or any other establishment, enlisting the services of a lawyer can be the key to improving your chances to hold those accountable. Before they can recognize their need for a lawyer, however, victims have to be able to recognize when they are in danger and when to get to safety. An understanding the basics of carbon monoxide poisoning might save your life.

The main problem with carbon monoxide poisoning lies in the subtleness of its presence. A carbon monoxide leak is odorless, tasteless, and unseeable by the naked eye. Thus, detecting it by normal human senses is not possible, and by the time you feel the physical and mental results of exposure, your body is already in immediate peril and time is of the essence. The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include:

• Headache
• Dizziness or fatigue
• Confusion or discombobulation
• Vomiting and nausea
• Unconsciousness

Unborn babies, the elderly, and those who are already at greater risk of heart disease or anemia are particularly susceptible to the effects of carbon monoxide in the air. There are also long-term effects of this exposure which may not become apparent for weeks, months, or years afterwards. There may be even be other untold long-term risks to continuous exposure to small amounts of carbon monoxide that we are still unaware of. Some of the potential long-term effects and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can include:

• Heart disease
• Neurological damage
• Delayed recovery time
• Intellectual deterioration
• Oxygen release/transport complications
• In some cases, chronic exposure can be fatal

Whether you travel to San Antonio, Texas, for business, with a sports team, or simply on vacation with your family, no one should have to worry about the threat of carbon monoxide exposure as a visitor in a new city. Because of Texas state law’s lack of protection for victims, presence of an experienced attorney may your best chance to obtain compensation for any loss and/or damages due to exposure.

Our San Antonio accident attorneys have been representing the great people of Texas for over 20 years in all manner of personal injury cases. We will compile all the evidence and stop at nothing to see you fully compensated and repaid for all your damages.

At Carabin Shaw, we believe that every victim of carbon monoxide poisoning deserves a chance to hold guilty parties accountable when the effects and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning alters their quality of life. In these cases, a lawyer can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

To speak with San Antonio injury lawyers from the law firm of Carabin Shaw today, call our San Antonio office at 210-222-2288, or anytime, day or night, toll-free at 800-862-1260.