Girl, 12, saves family who were passing out from carbon monoxide

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA) - A 12-year-old Texas girl was honored for calling 911 to get help for her sick family, saving them from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Fort Worth city leaders and firefighters are calling 12-year-old Jaziayh Parker a hero after she called 911 in March, desperately hoping to save her family. She was honored Tuesday at a city council meeting and received a plaque to acknowledge her bravery.

On March 27, Jaziayh, her mother and her siblings started getting sick, one by one, inside their home. The 12-year-old knew something was wrong, so she called 911.

“My baby brother, he only 5 months, and something wrong with him, too. He acting different,” said Jaziayh during the 911 call. “He keep on passing out. All of them keep on passing out now.”

Firefighters hurried to the family’s home, where they learned from Jaziayh, who was outside, that her family had passed out inside. Once outside, even the 12-year-old collapsed and passed out.

Robby Leon-Guerreo, the first firefighter inside, suspected carbon monoxide right away.

“You saw her sister on the stairwell collapsed, vomit. You saw her brother upstairs, vomit, and I knew that they only had minutes,” he said.

He was afraid the family wouldn’t make it, but several firefighters worked together to carry everyone to safety.

Jaziayh’s mother, Ariel Mitchell, says she’s proud of her daughter’s actions. She says she knew she was getting sick but never suspected carbon monoxide, which is odorless, tasteless and invisible. She didn’t realize her family was in danger.

Thankfully, Jaziayh called for help, like her mother taught her.

“If you feel like something is not right, something is off, always call 911. I don’t care what it is,” Mitchell said.

The family has fully recovered from their exposure to carbon monoxide. During their investigation into the incident, firefighters learned the family’s car had been left running in the garage.

Nationwide, carbon monoxide, also called “the silent killer,” is responsible for 1,500 accidental deaths and leads to 10,000 injuries every year.

Copyright 2023 WFAA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.