His son addicted to the carbon monoxide during a boat ride

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QMI agency

Thursday, 20 July 2017 14:00

UPDATE
Thursday, 20 July 2017 14:00

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A boat came within a whisker of turning into a nightmare for a family, on the 14th of July last, in the locks of Chambly. The little Xavier, age 9, fell into convulsions after being intoxicated with carbon monoxide.

“I believed that my son was, told his mother, Marie-Pierre Rancourt, in an interview on the airwaves of LCN. I had no idea what was going on. Really, my husband has let go of the steering wheel, it is dropped immediately. We just didn’t know what was happening.”

Ms. Rancourt and her husband had just taken possession of their new boat.

“It was a happy day, at the start, she explained. We were eight on board and at a certain point, we had to put the canvases to the level of the boat because it is made wet very strong.”

The group was also in an area where the speed limit is limited.

“With the exhaust that there was to the outside of the boat and that refoulaient inside, it has bothered my son,” stressed the mother.

Xavier was immediately arrested his parents to inform them that he was not feeling well and that he had a headache.

“As we can’t imagine that it can happen, I have given him Tylenol or Advil, added Ms. Rancourt. Then five minutes after, he fell unconscious, convulsing. He banged my head also in the bottom of the boat. It was a vision of horror.”

At this time, person on the premises is not suspected a carbon monoxide poisoning. Even the paramedics, when they arrived, have not thought of this hypothesis, since no-one else was inconvenienced.

“He had still much in his blood when they did the blood work at the hospital, said the mother of Xavier. We had not suspected at all that this could be it.”

After treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, the young boy has fully recovered and luckily, it has kept no sequelae physics of the incident.

“It is certain that he was terrorized as a result of that, said Marie-Pierre Rancourt. He didn’t know what to expect. There it goes super well, he is in great health and we are super glad that this is resolved.”

A detector that is functional, according to the inspection

Before you make the purchase of their boat, the couple had yet taken the trouble to inspect the boat. Checks mechanical and marine had been conducted.

“On the report that was handed over, before you make the purchase of the boat, it was registered that there was a monoxide detector on board of the boat and that it works, said Ms. Rancourt. It’s a bit like buying a new house, I am not sure that everyone checks to see if the battery in their smoke detector works on the first day.”

Today, she launches a call to all boaters to raise awareness about the importance of having a carbon monoxide detector and ensure that it is functional.

“It is also important to allow good ventilation openings at the level of the small windows on the sides,” she added.

For its part, this incident did not prevent him from enjoying his new boat in the family, but the boat is now equipped with three detectors.