With the 2025 hurricane season nearing its first full month, safety experts are urging Floridians to avoid a dangerous but all-too-common generator error.
As hurricane season continues, families all across the Sunshine State will prepare their homes and/or essential electricity devices — such as phone chargers, medical equipment and refrigerators — to be powered by generators in case of any power outages. Generators burn fuels like propane, diesel or gasoline in order to produce electricity. Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of that combustion process and, if not properly ventilated, then that can make for some pretty dangerous circumstances for unwitting residents.
Dangers of Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that is almost impossible for people to detect before it is too late. When breathed in, the gas binds to the hemoglobin in the blood and makes it so that oxygen cannot travel properly throughout the body. Many people begin to lose consciousness before they realize they are in danger.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide can include dizziness, nausea, chest pain, confusion and a loss of consciousness. In data from the Centers for Disease Control, it is estimated that approximately 400 people die every year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States. This number does not include those who were accidentally exposed due to fire incidents. This exposure results in more than 100,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. annually.
When the gas is emitted in a small space, it can quickly build up to levels that are lethal. Even brief exposure in an enclosed or partially enclosed area can prove to be fatal.
This is why generators should generally be placed at least 20 feet away from any structure with an exhaust directed away from homes and other structures. Renters and homeowners alike should always equip their homes with battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that carbon monoxide detectors are responsible for saving around 200 lives every year in the U.S.
Just last week in Springfield, Mo., a mother claims she woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible feeling while using a generator to cool her 100-year-old home during a city-wide power outage. When she went to check on her son, the carbon monoxide alarm blared, signaling an emergency.
“As I was going down the stairs, I could feel myself starting to pass out,” Mallory Brooks told reporters with People Magazine of her ordeal. “Luckily, it’s not a very big house but I could feel my body starting to just get weaker.”
When emergency responders arrived, they told her that their devices were registering dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and that the generator had been places too close to her home. Fumes from the machine were seeping through a cracked window and other small openings, she said.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners has a long history of representing victims of carbon monoxide poisoning with the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, playing a key role in the passing or protective laws involving the toxic gas. Senate Bill 1822 requires certain public lodging establishments to have a carbon monoxide detector installed in buildings that were constructed after a certain date. These detectors must be installed within 10 feet of each sleeping room.
This made Florida among the first in the United States to pass such a law. While there had been laws requiring private residences in some states to come equipped with these detectors, SB 1822 was among the first to address this issue within public accommodations. Thanks to the involvement of Leesfield & Partners and other advocacy groups, the issue of carbon monoxide and its lethal effects was highlighted, making it a primary concern for lawmakers who passed this legislation to protect the public.
Mr. Leesfield’s involvement with the legislation came after he took on a case of carbon monoxide poisoning that impacted over 20 people on vacation at a Key West hotel. This came just a week before the carbon monoxide poisoning death of a 26-year-old man at the same hotel. The man’s family was represented by Leesfield & Partners.
Florida Incidents
In August 2024, two Broward County schools had incidents within two weeks of each other involving possible gas leaks.
The first incident happened at Cypress Bay High School and involved a carbon monoxide leak inside the school’s cafeteria. At least five people were hospitalized and the school was evacuated.
The second occurred at Oriole Elementary School in which propane gas leaked inside the school’s cafeteria, prompting the hospitalization of at least one employee.
Last summer at a West Miami condo, about 60 people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning with the cause being a water heater on the property, according to local news outlets. At least 22 people were transported to local hospitals.
Leesfield & Partners has spent decades litigating carbon monoxide injury cases and promoting awareness about this dangerous and overlooked hazard.
Previous Cases
One such case involves an over $11 million recovery for a woman exposed to carbon monoxide while at a resort.
While representing an Iowa family exposed to carbon monoxide while staying at a Key west hotel, Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained a $1.4 million settlement for the family. Luckily, in that case, the family was able to call for emergency services before passing out from breathing in the poisonous gas.
A student who was visiting a college campus and staying at an accommodation owned by the university had to be hospitalized after being exposed to carbon monoxide as the student slept. In an investigation, attorneys found that there was over 200 ppm inside the house. The maximum carbon monoxide level that is considered “safe” while indoors is 9 ppm over eight hours, according to gas measurement specialists. The cause of the leak in that case was found to be an exhaust pipe in from the house’s furnace.
A confidential settlement was reached in that case.
“Every casualty from carbon monoxide poisoning has been unnecessary,” Mr. Leesfield said. “We have successfully represented numerous victims of carbon monoxide poisoning for 48 years and fought hard for the passage of Senate Bill 1822.”