A Boater’s True Story
When it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning most boaters think "It won’t happen to me". But consider the following true story about one of America’s greatest race drivers of all time. If carbon monoxide poisoning can happen to Al Unser, it can happen to you.
The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Grand Prix racer had frequently escaped harm on the racetrack. But seven years ago, Al Unser, Sr. almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning on his boat on Lake Powell in Arizona.
As he and some friends prepared to head out on the lake, a storm arose and the wind loosened anchors and ropes. Al started the engines so he could maneuver the boat away from the nearby rocks, but one of the ropes caught in the right propeller. As soon as he stabilized and re-anchored the vessel, Al dove beneath it to free the rope. It was badly tangled so he decided to get a knife to complete the job. Inhaling as he surfaced in the airspace below the house platform, he grabbed a knife and dove again to cut the rope.
Meanwhile, on deck, the generator was running. Little did Al know that exhaust from the generator was vented into the airspace and that he was breathing dangerously high concentrations of carbon monoxide into his lungs as he repeatedly dove and resurfaced.
To this day, Al doesn’t know how he finally got himself out from under the platform. But when he did he was only semi-conscious. His friends took him to the hospital where he was placed on oxygen for the next several hours. No one knew if he would make it.
Even though he was well aware of the hazards of Carbon Monoxide poisoning following a lifetime of auto racing, Al Unser became a victim on his boat and was a lucky survivor As he says, he never thought it could happen to him.
Since the accident, Al never takes chances with his or his passengers’ lives. He encourages boaters to know where CO can accumulate in and around their boats, and to be aware of the various sources of Carbon Monoxide. He reminds boaters that CO poisoning is dangerous—but preventable.
This story is published courtesy of the United States Coast Guard.