St. Louis man dies from CO exposure at Moberly airport

Moberly Monitor-Index & Democrat (MO)

Feb. 14--Aaron Herring, 29, of St. Louis died Saturday at the University Hospital in Columbia due to prolonged carbon monoxide exposure from a faulty heater Feb. 5 in an Omar Bradley Airport hangar.

Herring experienced cardiac arrest and was declared brain dead after comprehensive medical intervention and numerous tests, according to a GoFundMe page dedicated to supporting his family. Health insurance will cover the medical expenses, but he was the sole financial provider for his wife and three young daughters, according to the page, gofundme.com/herring-family-support-fund.

Matthew Trani, 27, of St. Charles and Wren Johannaber, 25, of Huntsville were also rendered unconscious by the gas and taken to University Hospital. They were reportedly released with no lasting damage. A Moberly firefighter was also taken to the hospital and cleared.

Moberly Police Chief Troy Link said the carbon monoxide leak was caused by a malfunctioning heater. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating if the proper regulations were followed in the hangar.

The hangar is privately owned within the city airport. It was built in 2015 and leased to CMAE, LLC, Moberly Public Works Director Tom Sanders said.

The Airport Advisory Committee met at Moberly City Hall yesterday, after the time of publication. The committee only meets when deemed necessary, according to the Moberly city website.

The families of those affected by the gas could file suit, but often product liability claims are made against the manufacturer of the particular heater, said Columbia injury attorney A.W. Smith. Smith also speculated that Wren and Johannaber could also file personal injury cases.

"The thing about carbon monoxide is, you can't smell it, you can't taste it and you don't know that you're becoming asphyxiated," Smith said. "You just become tired. Once you cross a certain threshold, and you have so much carbon monoxide in your blood, then you pass the point of no return."

ecliburn@moberlymonitor.com

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