Five Florida teenagers, who had gathered to celebrate a friend's birthday inside a Hialeah, Florida motel room, were found dead this week after apparently suffering from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

While an official cause of death won't be released until all autopsies are completed, the preliminary investigation revealed that the young men left a vehicle running in a closed garage beneath their motel room. While the garage door was closed, a door connecting the room and the garage was evidently open. Friends of the teenagers have told police, that the car was experiencing engine problems; therefore, the boys had probably left it running so they could avoid getting stuck with a car that wouldn't start.

A 911 call was placed by a maid who smelled gasoline and peered inside the window and observed the lay bodies. After emergency personnel arrived on the scene, fire crews tested the room's air and were able to determine a high concentration of the deadly carbon monoxide gas, a main ingredient in car exhaust was present.

At this time, it is believed that no alcohol, drugs, or other signs of foul play are attributed to the young men's death, who according to police were all between the ages of 16-19 and grew up friends in the same North Miami area.

Additionally, no information is known as to whether the motel room or the garage where the car was supposedly left was required to have any carbon monoxide detectors or other devices which would have alerted the teenagers, motel operators, or other authorities of the fumes presence inside the room. Certainly, such a terrible holiday nightmare could surely have been avoided if such a device were in place.

If you or your family have been victims of carbon monoxide poisoning please call Freidin • Dobrinsky for a free consultation.

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