Carbon monoxide leak in Antioch home poisons family

A boyfriend is being credited with helping save his girlfriend and her family, including their dog, early Monday morning in Antioch after they were all overcome from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The father, mother and 22-year-old daughter were expected to be released from Aurora Health Care Hospital and United Hospital System St. Catherine's Medical Center Campus, both in Kenosha, Wis., but the family's 13-year-old daughter was transported by helicopter from St. Catherine's to Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, for treatment with a hyperbaric chamber to force the carbon monoxide out of her blood.Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon said the boyfriend of the 22-year-old talked to his girlfriend earlier in the morning and he said she was feeling sick and vomiting. When he arrived at her house in the 1100 block of Bowles Road just before 6 a.m. no one answered the door, so he looked through some windows.

That's when he noticed his girlfriend's father lying on the floor unconscious and he called 9-1-1.

"At first we thought we had one victim, then we learned there were four," said Nixon.

Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms include dizziness and vomiting, followed by shortness of breath, unconsciousness, "then death," said Nixon.All four victims and the family dog were treated with oxygen outside the home and regained consciousness, but they were still groggy, he said.

The youngest girl apparently had a worse case and was flown to Loyola University Medical Center where she is expected to stay overnight at the very least, Nixon said.

It appears the CO levels, which reached 600 parts per million and is considered a lethal level, was caused by a faulty boiler.

There were no CO detectors in the house, which is over 10 years old. All news construction for the past decade requires CO detectors.

The family dog was taken to a veterinarian to be checked out.