A mom from Springfield attributes her ‘intuition’ for saving herself and her son from a carbon monoxide leak.
Mallory Brooks shared the event on her TikTok page, @plzdontbuythat. The video has since gone viral, with over 300,000 views. Brooks explains that she lives in Springfield, Missouri. At the time of recording the clip, she had been without power for four days due to storms.
Brooks says that she borrowed a generator from a co-worker so she could run fans in her and her child’s bedroom. She recalls that her smoke alarm went off a couple of hours after turning the generator on. However, she dismissed it as she could faintly smell gas and smoke and attributed it to the appliance. Brooks says that she was lying down and suddenly thought, “What if this is more serious?” At around 11, she recalls having disturbing visions while tired. “You get intrusive thoughts as a mom,” she explains, “but this felt different from an intrusive thought. Like, this felt very real,” she added.
The Carbon Monoxide Alarm Suddenly Went Off
Brooks explains that her thoughts eventually prompted her to get up. Shortly after, she heard her carbon monoxide alarm go off. She recalls feeling weak when she sat up but ran into her son’s room and grabbed him. Brooks also says that she felt like she was about to pass out as she walked down the stairs. She exited the property and dialed 911.
Emergency services arrived and took readings inside the mom’s house. “They were detecting a 70 upstairs in my room. It should have been like a two or a three,” she explained. At the end of the video, Brooks says she feels “lucky to be OK,” acknowledging the danger of carbon monoxide.
Many comments on the video blast the content creator for bringing a generator inside the house. She later clarified that she kept it in the backyard. Others recall harrowing stories about loved ones lost to the carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the NHS, Carbon Monoxide is so dangerous because it lacks a scent. It’s also colorless, so you can only tell it’s there based on symptoms. Those symptoms include chest and muscle pain, headaches, and feeling weak. The NHS also details that faulty household appliances are typically to blame for releasing the gas.