When I heard that one of the stars of MTV’s reality show “Buckwild” had been found dead with two other men in their vehicle, I figured they were all victims of carbon monoxide poisoning.
And although as of late Monday authorities still hadn’t released a cause of death for the trio, I’m still betting it was from CO, not much of a leap when you know the details of how Shain Gandee, 21, was found.
The bodies of Shain, his uncle David Gandee, 48, and Donald Robert Myers, 27, were discovered in a Ford Bronco on a dirt road in Sissonville, W.Va., according to Fox News.
That story quoted Kanawha County authorities who said that the Bronco’s muffler was submerged in mud, likely meaning that any exhaust pipe was below the surface, as well.
With the muffler and exhaust pipe plugged up with mud, the Bronco’s exhaust likely backed into the vehicle, filling it with lethal carbon monoxide.
I’ve written about several fatal accidents that were quite similar to this, when off-road “mudding” trips ended in tragedy.
If I am right about the cause of Gandee’s death, then the only good thing about it is that it provides a teachable moment. The youths who watched “Buckwild” and will read about his death will learn about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, and how a blocked exhaust pipe could end in death.
The three victims, according to the Fox News story, were last seen alive Sunday afternoon at a bar. They said they were going to do some off-road driving.
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