Carbon monoxide is called a silent killer for a reason. Many people don’t realize they’re experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning before it’s too late. The gas is colorless and odorless and tends to have a sedating effect that causes people to sleep through the fatal poisoning. Having carbon monoxide detectors is one of the most effective ways to identify the gas before it’s too late to get out of the house, but not every home has one.
A little girl in Fort Worth, Texas, experienced a terrifying encounter with the deadly gas, but her quick actions saved her entire family. Jaziyah Parker is being held up as a hero after she realized something was wrong with her family members and called for help.
The girl called 911 after she noticed her mom pass out. On the call with the dispatcher, Jaziyah says she thinks her mother has died before explaining that there was something now wrong with her baby brother, who was just 5-months-old.
“At first, they were acting normal and when I came back to my room, they started screaming and throwing up and stuff and they started to pass out,” Jaziyah told ABC News.
Someone had accidentally left the car running in the garage which caused carbon monoxide to fill the home. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the gas causes around 430 deaths a year and at least 50,000 people end up in the emergency room every year due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
“I saw her sister on the stairwell had collapsed and vomited. I saw her brother upstairs and he had vomited, and I knew that they only had minutes,” firefighter Robby Leon-Guerreo explained to WFAA 8.
Leon-Guerreo was the first firefighter on the scene, and shortly after he arrived, Jaziyah passed out. Had it not been for her quick thinking and insistence that someone needed to come right away, the situation would’ve turned out much differently. The Fort Worth fire department is encouraging families to have not only smoke detectors but at least one carbon monoxide detector in their home. You can even purchase one to bring on vacation with you in case your rental doesn’t have a functioning one.
Thankfully, the entire family has fully recovered from their exposure to the gas and are grateful to have survived. On May 23, Jaziyah was presented with a plaque for her bravery by Fort Worth city leaders and the firefighters.
Listen to the harrowing 911 call below: