How do I Know if I’ve Suffered from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

When most think of carbon monoxide poisoning danger, they imagine an old house with a boiler room or a car running in a garage, not their place of work. However, just last June, dozens of workers at a Dallas food processing center were rushed to area hospitals soon after they were mysteriously overcome by nausea, dizziness, and headaches at the same time. The culprit: a gasoline-powered generator running without proper ventilation.

Luckily, none of the 29 people affected were left with any lasting harm; unfortunately the same cannot be said of a Dallas family of three who, almost exactly a year prior to the incident above, succumbed to the lethal slumber of carbon monoxide.

These stories show us that the danger of carbon monoxide is not limited to the stereotypical basement of an old house. It can happen outside the home: at work, on another’s property, at a hotel, and even while shopping. Clearly, it is important for everyone to be able to know how to recognize if they are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. It also means that if you are stricken by carbon monoxide in any workplace, business, or private property in Dallas, due to owner or employee negligence, you have the right to hire an attorney to recover damages for your suffering.

The carbon monoxide poisoning lawyers at Carabin Shaw have seen too many poisonings or deaths ruin a family both emotionally and financially. While our attorneys are here to assist any and all victims, no one should have to suffer in the first place. The key to poisoning prevention is recognizing the signs of its presence and then reaching safety immediately.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is undetectable to human senses. Because they cannot smell, see, or taste it, most victims will not know if they are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning until they are feeling sick and already in danger.

The symptoms of monoxide exposure are similar to hypoxia, or what happens when you can’t breathe. That’s because carbon monoxide doesn’t just suffocate you from the outside; it suffocates you from the inside as well, binding to the red blood cells in your body and usurping their ability to carry oxygen to the brain, heart, and muscles – the parts that need it most.

The buildup CO-carrier blood cells taking the place of O2-carriers and subsequent oxygen deprivation of the body results in sickness that victims can mistakenly assume to be flu or food poisoning. This perilous confusion often leads victims to sitting or lying down, or running to the closest restroom, where they continue to suffer exposure until death.

If you notice any combination of these signs within an enclosed area, especially if they are intensifying or persistent, vacate the area immediately and call 911:

• Headaches
• Sudden fatigue
• Weakness or dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion
• Blurred vision
• Convulsions
• Unconsciousness

After evacuating everyone from the suspected building and calling for help, do everything you can to contact the building owner and notify them of the situation; there may be other occupants in the building or issues that emergency responders need to know. After you receive treatment and are safe, the next immediate thing you should do is call a carbon-monoxide-poisoning lawyer to determine if you have a case against those liable for the gas leak.

To proceed with an injury claim, there must be hard evidence of carbon monoxide contamination. The only way how to know if you’re suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning for sure is by testing. After providing first aid and oxygen to victims, emergency responders will likely have tools to test your blood, breath, or skin for CO levels, and Dallas city services will likely send someone to test the building as well. Get a copy of these test results as soon as you can, or ask your lawyer to procure them for you.

The Dallas accident attorneys of Carabin Shaw have the resources to subpoena these tests, as well as medical records from your physicians and building records from its owner. These are instrumental to your attorney in building a case that seeks out every possible liable cause and source of compensation, one of the many ways that Carabin Shaw’s lawyers go above and beyond the bar in serving our clients.

For over two decades, our top-tier lawyers have been serving the people of Texas and protecting their right to justice and compensation. The record we have built in personal injury claims successes, from car accidents to carbon monoxide poisonings, has established us as a leader among Dallas law firms.

If you need representation for your case against carbon monoxide negligence, call the Dallas injury attorneys of Carabin Shaw at 1.800.862.1260 today for a free consultation.