Eighty-year-old twins succumb to exhaust fumes in garage

Updated at 4:25 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two elderly twin brothers died last night of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from working on a vehicle inside a garage south of Chehalis.

The wife of one of them returned home from a neighbor’s, found the men lying unconscious on the floor inside the garage and called 911, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The men were twins, 80 years old. One was visiting from Rainier, Washington, according to the sheriff’s office.

Lewis County Fire District 5 responding about 6:15 p.m. to 100 block of Ironwood Court found one patient semi conscious and the other unconscious with two or three bystanders performing CPR on him, Chief Eric Linn said.

They were joined by members of Lewis County Fire District 6 and Lewis County Medic One, he said. While some responders took over CPR on the one brother, others treated his sibling and put him on oxygen, Linn said.

Both were transported by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital.

William Schofield, of Chehalis, was pronounced dead at the hospital. His brother was transferred  to Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle where he passed away about 3:15 a.m. today, according to authorities.

Linn said a woman suffering anxiety or heart problems believed due to secondary stress was transported to the hospital as well.

Carbon monoxide is created in combustion fumes from gas engines and from other sources such as gas appliances or burning charcoal or wood. People and animals can be poisoned by breathing it, with fatality highest among persons 65 years and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Linn said the ultimate treatment is a decompression chamber, something not found in Lewis County.

“We support the patient the best we can but the definitive treatment is what’s going to make a difference,” he said.

It happened in the Newaukum Village golf course community, Linn said.

The men had been working on the exhaust manifold of an antique car, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Responders said all the doors had been closed. Firefighters’ detectors indicated high levels of carbon monoxide inside.

Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield issued a statement saying how tragic and sad the incident was, urging the public to purchase and use inexpensive carbon monoxide alarms.

“These brothers were simply working on a car together and ended up dying from a silent killer,” Mansfield stated in a news release.

The CDC warns to never run a car or truck in a garage with the garage door closed, as carbon monoxide can build up quickly.

The name of the brother from Rainier isn’t expected to be released by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office before tomorrow.

The CDC offers information about carbon monoxide poisoning’s symptoms and ways to prevent it, here

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For more, see KING5.com

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly reflect the hospital in Seattle to which one brother was taken. The sheriff’s office erroneously reported he died at another hospital.

3 Responses to “Eighty-year-old twins succumb to exhaust fumes in garage”

  1. BleeBloo says:

    What a downer. Rest in peace, dudes.

  2. OlyChris says:

    My heart goes out to the families, but I almost envy the brothers. They both lived nice long lives, yes they could have easily had another decade left in ’em, but they died together, painlessly, doing something they love.

  3. Rose says:

    My heart goes out to them and their families. Tragic!