A father and his two young children died after doing something that most of us have done once the weather gets freezing. In 2018, Juvenal Garcia Mora of Louisville, Kentucky, went to his car, started it, and turned on his heater, hoping to warm up the vehicle before his two children, Cruz Isaac and Mayra, got in for the drive to school.
The simple act on a cold day tragically had fatal results. Parked in the garage, the enclosed space filled with carbon monoxide and the family was poisoned to death in their own garage. This sad story is a reminder to all parents about the dangers of carbon monoxide, especially as cooler fall weather approaches.
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The incident happened when Mora was getting ready to take his kids to school.
A story by the Daily Mail noted that Juvenal Mora and his two children, Cruz, age 3 at the time of his death, and Mayra, 8 years old, had been waiting for the car to warm up in their garage with the door closed when carbon monoxide poisoning knocked all three of them unconscious.
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When the family was eventually discovered, Cruz was found dead in his car seat and his father was found on the ground outside of his car.
Mayra was still alive but was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and was taken unconscious to Norton Children's Hospital. She was declared dead about 6 p.m. Nov. 29, 2018.
The children's mother had already left for work when the incident happened, according to People, and Louisville Police Department representative Lt. Emily McKinley said everything happened “very, very quickly.”
“It appeared to be that he had warmed the car up while it was in the garage and trying to get the kids out the door to school and start the day,” she said.
At least 420 people in the United States die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning and about 100,000 are sent to the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
The agency explains that carbon monoxide is made when burning fuels such as gasoline or natural gas. Carbon monoxide can build up and become toxic to humans and animals when it's made in an enclosed space. Common signs of carbon monoxide poisoning might seem "flu like" and include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.
The CDC recommends that drivers get their cars inspected by a mechanic every year to check the exhaust system for leaks and never run a car or truck inside a garage with the door closed.
A GoFundMe account was made in the family's honor to cover funeral costs, and Juvenal Mora's brother-in-law shared the remaining family's grief.
Speaking with WDRB, Juvenal Mora's brother-in-law, Mavro Le'Kondua, shared how his family is coping after Juvenal and his two children's deaths.
"I used to see everybody say pray and prayers for people on Facebook when people have a tragedy," he said. "And now that this tragedy is part of me and my family, I now know that all these prayers are really helping. It really helps soothe the pain."
Mavro even shared some fond memories of his niece, who he said was graceful and artistic. "Always glowing," he said. "She was into dancing. She was a ballet dancer."
He remembered this about his nephew, Cruz: "He was such a fan of cars, especially those monster trucks."
But this grieving uncle also has an important message to families who may not know about carbon monoxide poisoning or don't think it can happen to them.
"We've never dealt with anything of this gravity," Mavro explained. "The kind of tragedy that happened the other day. Mistakes happen. Accidents happen. I mean, it could have happened to any of us, and that's the thing people can relate."
The GoFundMe account raised over $20,000 to support the grieving family.
