Following one's own tragedy, a family hopes to help others avoid hidden dangers while traveling.
In 2023, John Heathco and his girlfriend Abby were supposed to have spent a long weekend at the beach in Mexico, but a few hours after arriving at their hotel, they felt something had happened.
"They had a few tacos and some avocado sauce by the pool and went back to the room and started to feel bad," said John's father Chuck Heathco.
They thought it was food poisoning, but John Heathco's family said the couple's hotel room was filled with a silent killer: Carbon monoxide.
"After dinner, they went back to the room and never came back to the room," said Keri Bliss, the sister of John Heathco.
The prosecutor said the two were Found in their hotel room. Police said paramedics received a report saying the American was in a coma in the room. When paramedics arrived, they were dead.
The 40-year-old family called him smart, loving and supportive.
"He is also my best friend, too," said Jill Heathco, mother of John Heathco.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning, which is not associated with carbon monoxide poisoning, killed about 400 Americans.
The Heathco family speaks for the first time when launching the John Wesley Heathco Heathco Heathco Heathco Heathco Carbon monoxide detector In every room. Currently, there are only 14 states authorized, including: California, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Jill Heathco said: “There must be something to help prevent another family from suffering, the losses we suffered with Johnny and Abby.”
Family members want to enable travelers to provide safety information.
"I pray that no other family has to go through this loss without Johnny," Jill Heathco said. "There is a huge loophole in our hearts."
Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig and California Rep. Mike Levin plan to introduce new legislation requiring carbon monoxide detectors in hotels and other short-term rentals.
"You would think that big hotel chains actually do this preventively," Craig said. "I mean, these are actually people's lives that are being affected. People are dying."
Members acknowledged the legislation is the cost of installing and maintaining carbon monoxide detectors in every hotel room.
"It's common sense, it's something I hope we can pass and sign the law and save lives," Levin said.
For the Heathco family, saving lives means a family that reduces their own heartbreaking lives.
"What I think about a lot of people is that I'm the father of an amazing man," Chuck Heathco said. "To this day, I still find myself wanting to be more like him."
CBS News Data Reviews on FEMA's National Fire Incident Reporting System found that over the past 15 years, the national fire department has responded to approximately 360 carbon monoxide incidents in hotels and motels in the United States each year. Data on reported events deaths were not carefully tracked.
February, Three Massachusetts women In their 20s, their hotel room died while on vacation in Belize. The cause was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning.
In April, Costa Rica officials determined carbon monoxide was the cause of death Miller Gardner, The teenage son of retired New York Yankees player Brett Gardner.
symptom Carbon monoxide poisoning may include:
Detectors can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that people have a separate CO detector on each floor.
"If you're getting a carbon monoxide detector, place it near your sleeping area and make sure the alarm is enough to wake you up," the EPA notes on its website.
Like smoke detectors, it requires regular testing, the agency said.
Travelers can also buy Portable carbon carbon monoxide detector About $25.
In a statement, chief communications officer for the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Ralph Posner, told CBS News: "While carbon monooxide incidents in hotel settings remain rare, AHLA emphasizes the importance of proactive measures to protect guests and employees. Our members are required to comply with all applicable local and state codes with respect to carbon monooxide detection, typically adapted from the International Fire Code. AHLA also encourages our members to follow industry-wide best practices, including regular inspections and maintenance of fuel equipment, proper installation of carbon monoxide detectors in applicable areas, and ongoing employee training on monitoring and emergency response procedures.”