Victim named in carbon-monoxide death
Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2008
BENTONVILLE — A Bentonville man left his car running in a closed garage Monday afternoon, causing his death and hospitalizing his wife and stepdaughter.
Dwight Hastie, 45, was pronounced dead Monday after emergency personnel responded to a report of carbon monoxide coming from a duplex at 1201 N. Cliffstone.
The Bentonville Fire Department responded to a 3: 14 p. m. call from the stepdaughter who said she was not going to leave the residence until personnel responded.
Hastie’s wife — who arrived at the home after rescuers had been called — and stepdaughter were taken to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville on Monday afternoon. The stepdaughter was discharged Tuesday. The two were not named by police or emergency personnel.
In addition, a dog at the residence was treated and taken to Rose Animal Clinic in Bentonville.
Bentonville Fire Battalion Chief Curtis Sharp said the caller’s response time “ could have meant the difference between life and death. ”
“ Most times you may have a little bit of time, but yesterday there wasn’t. ”
Sharp said carbon-monoxide poisoning can provide the same damage to animals as to humans. “ The extreme end of carbon monoxide is that you stop breathing. You’re going to go through seizure-type activity as it binds to the hemoglobin in the blood, ” he said. “ The thing with carbon monoxide is that you can’t detect it with a regular smoke detector. It’s a colorless, odorless gas. You can’t smell it; you can’t see it — and when you start feeling the effects, you might think you have flulike symptoms. ”
Sharp said the carbonmonoxide detectors in the residence were purposely disabled.
Lt. Jon Simpson of the Bentonville Police Department said the inhalation among other residents in the house is indicative of how dangerous the gas is.
“ It just goes to show you, ” Simpson said, “ even if a house is sealed, … (carbon monoxide ) is able to find creases and crevices beyond the garage itself. ”
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