A Lomita man has died weeks after he was hospitalized and put in a medically induced coma for being exposed to carbon dioxide fumes at Los Angeles International Airport, his family said.
Cris Abraham, 36, was one of four workers sickened in the Terminal 8 baggage area of the airport on Oct. 31.
He was hospitalized and eventually placed in a coma because of repeated seizures that were making it difficult for his brain to heal, his family had told KTLA.
Abraham died on Nov. 11, the family said in an updated post on a GoFundMe page.
“The entire family has been devastated by his loss. Your continued support is appreciated as the family adjusts to life without Cris,” the fundraising page read.
Abraham was a pipefitter who leaves behind a wife and two children.
He was part of a four-person crew doing repairs in an electrical vault in Terminal 8 the day of the hazmat incident. While he was on a ladder, repairing a leaky pipe, the fire suppression malfunctioned and flooded the room with carbon dioxide, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Carbon dioxide displaces oxygen in a person’s bloodstream, which is what caused Abraham to go into cardiac arrest, officials said.