A 9-year-old Massachusetts girl is being hailed as a lifesaver after her quick-witted actions ensured her parents received the necessary medical attention after they became overwhelmed by carbon monoxide that had filled their home.
According to CNN, the October 28 incident occurred while little Jayline Barbosa Brandão was in bed. Her parents had borrowed a generator after they were left without power for days following a powerful nor’easter that drenched their Brockton neighborhood.
Jayline’s mom, Marcelina Brandão, said they were running the generator outside their home, but they turned it off after using it briefly because it was making too much noise. Brandão said they then unplugged it and took it inside for safety reasons.
She added that they thought the place the generator had been running was safe, and they had only been using it briefly. “I thought it was just a headache, then 2-3 minutes I didn’t feel anything after that,” Brandão told WFXT.
Little Jayline said she heard her father subsequently screaming. And when she went to locate them, she saw her mom unconscious. “I heard my dad screaming and saw my mom passed out,” she said.
Realizing her dad had also been overwhelmed by the colorless and odorless carbon monoxide gas, Jayline sprang into action and took his iPhone to call 911. But there was one problem – the phone was locked. She, however, managed to unlock it through facial ID after running her father’s face on the phone.
And besides calling 911, Jayline’s mother said she also went to their neighbor’s house with her 7-year-old sister to ask for help, CNN reported. Brandão said she regained consciousness in an ambulance that was transporting her to the hospital.
Rescuers determined the carbon monoxide levels the generator discharged into their home was 1,000 parts per million (ppm). The Consumer Products Safety Commission cautions that consistent carbon monoxide levels that are above 150 to 200 ppm can cause disorientation, unconsciousness, and even death.
Brandão said the incident could have been tragic had it not been for Jayline’s swift intervention. “She was so smart,” she said. “That was very scary. If it wasn’t (for) her to call right away I don’t know what would have happened.”
