Woman shares simple household mistake that put her family members in grave danger: 'So important'
TikTok user Bri Mattingly is well-known for her spooky stories and paranormal encounters, but her tale of a near-death experience is more of a cautionary tale than just a passing fright.
Her viral story was a response to fellow TikToker @giveitamoment’s request for stories about times people “should have died but didn’t.”
Mattingly began her tale by letting her followers know about “the family curse” that has claimed nearly all the lives of her loved ones. She said the curse is in effect for the entire month of February — and one year, it nearly came for her.
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She said the only reason she survived the near-death encounter was because her mom’s alarm went off for an early shift at work. She struggled to get up, complaining of the “worst headache of her life.” That’s when she realized something was wrong and woke the rest of the family up.
Mattingly’s mom called 911 and realized that the reason behind her horrible headache was a carbon monoxide leak. Typically in this situation, getting out of the house is the best course of action, but it was -40 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
The family stood in the open doorway of their house as the car warmed up and waited there for help to arrive.
When firefighters got to the house, they measured the carbon monoxide levels and found that the “numbers were insane.” If Mattingly’s mom hadn’t woken them all up, they all "could have died in their sleep.”
There are several comments about similar close encounters with the deadly gas.
“That’s why carbon monoxide detectors are so important! It’s odorless and you might not realize something is wrong until it’s too late,” one commenter said.
“The same thing happened to us. My mom woke up with a scratchy throat and knew something was wrong,” another said.
According to Healthline, some of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are a headache, weakness, nausea, confusion and difficulty breathing. If you breathe in large quantities of the gas, your body begins to use it to replace the oxygen in your blood, which can render you unconscious and end in death.
In a follow-up video, the TikToker shed more light on the events of the day and the “family curse.”
She said her family had just moved so they hadn’t had a chance to install a carbon monoxide monitor yet. The source of the dangerous gas was likely the house’s wood stove and a heating oil leak.
Mattingly said her whole family and their pets were totally fine following the incident, thankfully — but the so-called “curse” has claimed everyone on her mom’s side of the family during the month of February, and they’ve had other near-death experiences during that time frame as well.
Thankfully, February 2021 is over, and Mattingly’s family is in the clear for at least 11 months. Look out for your own loved ones by making sure all your carbon monoxide monitors are working.
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