Sadly, an 11-year-old boy died in blizzard conditions Saturday in Boston, Mass. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a cause of death. The snowstorm dubbed Nemo, which blanketed the northeast apparently caused the child and his father to take shelter in their vehicle. Police also say the dad suffered a heart attack after shoveling snow from around the car. His condition is unknown.
According to a report from WSPA7 Feb. 9, authorities said the man and his son were both trying to dig out snow from around their car moments before the tragedy took place over the weekend.
Sources say when the boy became to cold, he started the car and told him to warm up using the car's heater. However, at some point, he realize the child was not responsive and began yelling his child couldn't breathe.
Residents nearby came to his aid and helped him get the child into a home to warm up. There, a resident attempted CPR, to no avail.
Moments later, the frantic father went back outside and collapsed in the snow from an apparent heart attack. Paramedics arrived a short time later and revived the man and kept him alert before transporting him to a nearby hospital.
Octavius Rowe, a fireman in Boston lives near the scene where the 11-year-old boy died in the blizzard, rushed over to help.
He said: "I don't know how long the boy was in the car, at some point the father was still working and was unaware of the boy's condition.So very, very unfortunate."
Boston officials said that after Nemo dumped upwards of three feet of snow in the area, snowplows came along and cleared streets for vehicular traffic.
However, vehicles parked along the streets were partially buried when a snowbank was created by the snowplows. This force residents to dig their vehicles out to gain access.
From information gathered so far, it looks like the child's death from carbon monoxide poisoning was a tragic accident.
Nonetheless, it underscores how important it is for people to be aware of the hazards from snowstorms, blizzards and other natural disasters.
After the 11-year-old boy died in the blizzard, firemen warned residents in the immediate area to be careful during shoveling and don't use running vehicles as refuge if the exhausts are blocked.
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