3 Marines were poisoned in a parked car. How that might have happened

[rangerrebew]

3 Marines were poisoned in a parked car. How that might have happened
By Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press/Report for America
 Aug 1, 11:02 PM
 

The deaths of three U.S. Marines who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in a parked car at a North Carolina gas station have stirred speculation about how the situation could have occurred outdoors. (Toby Talbot, File/The Associated Press)
The seemingly accidental deaths of three U.S. Marines who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in a parked car at a North Carolina gas station have raised questions about how the situation could have occurred outdoors.

Deputies from the Pender County Sheriff’s Office had found the men unresponsive in a privately owned Lexus sedan in the coastal community of Hampstead, North Carolina. Autopsies performed by the North Carolina medical examiner’s office determined that all three died of carbon monoxide poisoning.


Sgt. Chester Ward from the sheriff’s office said the ongoing investigation indicates it was accidental.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that many U.S. carbon monoxide deaths occur inside homes or closed garages, automotive experts say certain vehicle malfunctions can cause casualties outdoors.

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/08/02/3-marines-were-poisoned-in-a-parked-car-how-that-might-have-happened/

[SZonian]

Sad story.
RIP Marines.

[PeteS in CA]

Rust likely formed holes in the car’s exhaust and floor, letting fumes from the engine into the passenger compartment, Brannon said. Salt exposure from the ocean can cause rust, Fisher said, and older car parts can develop leaks over time. Garcia’s 2000 Lexus had traveled with him from Florida.

If the car also had spent some of its life in northern states where corrosive salt is used to clear the roads of snow and ice, holes from rust formation would be highly probable, Brannon said.

I was wondering about the car's age and whether the car's passenger compartment might have been compromised by rust.

[Kamaji]

I was wondering about the car's age and whether the car's passenger compartment might have been compromised by rust.

That used to be a much more widespread concern than it is today - the metal in cars is better, and the exhaust systems tend to be better as well.

My FiL drilled into my wife and her brother when they were little kids that you never sat in a parked car while it was running.  To this day, my wife gets very uncomfortable if I park the car and leave it running (our car is a 2017 model), even if it's sweltering or freezing outside.

[PeteS in CA]

Car exhaust gases are also less noxious compared to the 60s and earlier.

[Kamaji]

Car exhaust gases are also less noxious compared to the 60s and earlier.

True enough.