A student who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning revealed that maintenance crews told her she could safely return to her college dorm just hours before the leak killed her boyfriend.
On December 11, 2023, a deadly carbon monoxide leak occurred in campus housing at Evergreen State College in Washington.
The gas tragically killed student Jonathan Rodriguez, 21, and sent his girlfriend and roommate to the hospital.
New details from the investigation have revealed that maintenance staff at Modular Apartments units on the Olympia campus silenced carbon monoxide alarms earlier that day.
According to investigators, maintenance workers assumed the alarms were defective and there was no actual leak.
Carbon monoxide poisoning tragically killed student Jonathan Rodriguez, 21, and sent his girlfriend and a roommate to the hospital.
The victim was due to graduate this spring. Rodríguez is survived by his parents and two brothers, according to an obituary.
“He connected with many people in Evergreen and made many friends along the way,” the obituary said.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) conducted a three-month investigation last December and blamed a poorly installed tankless water heater for the deadly incident.
New details from the investigation have revealed that maintenance staff at Modular Apartments units on the Olympia campus silenced carbon monoxide alarms earlier that day.
“That erroneous assumption was one of the key contributing factors to this tragedy,” the Patrol’s investigation stated.
Workers told Rodriguez’s girlfriend and another woman that they could return to their bedrooms despite the alarms.
Despite the efforts of an Evergreen police officer who broke down the door and performed CPR at 8:30 pm that night, within hours he was dead. The women, ages 19 and 20, were sent to the hospital.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) conducted a three-month investigation last December and blamed the deadly incident on a poorly installed tankless water heater.
Photographs obtained through a public records request by KING 5 They show what investigators described as an exhaust pipe that was not fully connected to a vent leading outside.
Investigators also blamed campus maintenance crews, who failed to recognize there was a carbon monoxide leak despite the alarm.
Alarms went off several times throughout the day, but crews did not realize there was a real carbon monoxide threat.
After staff cleared the alarms, students were told they could return to their rooms.
One of the students told investigators that she had asked maintenance workers if it was safe to return to the dorms and they said yes.
On December 11, 2023, there was a carbon monoxide leak in a home on the Evergreen State College campus in Washington.
One of the students told investigators that she had asked maintenance workers if it was safe to return to the dorms and they said yes.
Photos obtained through a public records request by KING 5 show what investigators described as an exhaust pipe that was not fully connected to a vent leading outside.
‘When the alarms first went off, I wasn’t sure, so (I said) ‘Are we okay? Are we all ready to go? And he said, ‘Yeah, you should be all right.’ You’re ready to go,’ he said.
The other student described the last moments she remembered before she fell unconscious from carbon monoxide exposure.
“Suddenly, I fell to the floor of my room, and since I was still feeling dizzy and I almost didn’t process the fall, until I tried to get up,” the student said. He said the next thing he remembers is waking up in the hospital.
None of the students or staff will be identified until a charging decision has been made in the investigation.
Dr. John Carmichael, president of The Evergreen State College, said no students are living in those dormitories after the incident.
He also reported that whenever an alarm goes off in a housing unit, campus police and the local fire department are notified following the campus tragedy.
The 21-year-old victim was scheduled to graduate this spring.
Rodriguez is survived by his parents and two brothers, according to an obituary.
“He connected with many people in Evergreen and made many friends along the way,” the obituary said. ‘She loved and cared deeply for so many people, including her partner Abigail. Jon was very excited about his future career plans, his goals and his personal life.”