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Keith McCord Reporting A six-year-old girl died, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, while she was sitting in an idling car with the windows up.
We hear about carbon monoxide problems in the home, but something like this is rare. This was a very unfortunate accident according to police.
It happened in St. George yesterday. An Arizona woman and her daughter were on their way to Provo. Apparently the car was having problems and the woman took it to a mechanic, who said there was a leak in the exhaust system. So the woman drove to this apartment complex in St. George, where her son lives.
Police say the woman left the vehicle idling while she went to see if her son was home. Her daughter stayed in the car. When the woman returned, her daughter was hallucinating and having seizures.
An ambulance took her to the hospital where she died.
We spoke with Bob Parenti with the Utah Safety Council who advises that if you're going to be sitting in a parked car that's running for an extended period of time, crack the windows a bit.
Bob Parenti, Utah Safety Council: "Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous. It's a colorless, odorless gas. And it's caused by the incomplete combustion of fuel, such as wood, coal, gas, whatever. It's very lethal from the fact that you can't see it smell it, and basically it puts people to sleep."
Parenti also urges us to have CO detectors in our home.
St. George police say an autopsy will be performed on the six-year old, but the most likely cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
