Evicted mom, daughters asleep in car in garage suffer monoxide poisoning, TX cops say

A Texas mother and her two teenage daughters needed medical treatment after they were found sleeping in a running car in a garage, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

First responders found the Houston-area family Tuesday.

The family was not attempting suicide, according to police, but is facing eviction and was trying to escape the heat by running the car’s air conditioning.

Their home had no air conditioning, according to the sheriff’s office.

All three received treatment and are expected to recover.

Cars, and most anything with a combustion motor or engine, produce carbon monoxide. If left running in a closed space, such as a garage, an engine can potentially put out enough carbon monoxide to cause death in minutes, according to the University of Iowa.

Experts say it’s not safe to briefly warm up a car, even with the garage door open, much less leave it running for extended periods of time.

In Louisiana, a family of five was found dead last week from carbon monoxide poisoning in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, after they left a generator running in an attached garage, McClatchy News reported. Three shrimpers died in Texas under similar circumstances.