A MOTHER and her two children were saved from carbon monoxide poisoning at their home in West Virginia when police responded to a transatlantic emergency phone call from an internet chat room user in London.
Linda Bundy, 48, had become close friends via a chat room with Jackie McEvoy, 46, a housewife and mother of four from Dulwich, southeast London. Mrs McEvoy had been growing increasingly concerned for the health of her friend when she did not hear from her.
Mrs Bundy had told Mrs McEvoy that she was worried about her 17-year-old son, Brenton, who was sleeping for up to 19 hours a day, complaining of headaches and nausea and had become too weak to go to school. The boy had been taken to a doctor and had sleep apnoea diagnosed, but a few days later his mother revealed to her British friend that she and her daughter, Brandi, 16, were also suffering headaches and were becoming increasingly drowsy.
On at least two occasions, Mrs Bundy fell asleep at her computer while talking to Mrs McEvoy using a microphone and a webcam. The next day, when her friend failed to make contact and all attempts to bring her online failed, Mrs McEvoy decided that something was seriously amiss. She turned for advice to her son, David, 21, a trained first-aider who suggested that the Bundy family could be displaying the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Although they had no telephone number and no full address for the Bundys, who live on an 800-acre farm to the west of the Appalachian mountains, Mr McEvoy contacted the international operator and asked to be connected to the West Virginia state police.
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The American 911 emergency operators were initially deeply suspicious about the call. Mr McEvoy said: “They thought it was a wind-up, but I explained the symptoms and our concerns and in the end we were put through to the local police in Roane County.
“They agreed to send a police officer to the farmhouse and when he arrived he found that Linda and the children were asleep and semi- comatose. They had a gas leak from a broken pipe underneath the house and the house was full of carbon monoxide.”
Brandi Bundy said that the arrival of the police officer at their front door had been an extraordinary experience. She said: “We were so shocked when he asked us whether we knew UKFriendly, which was Jackie’s screen name. It turned out that we’d been getting gassed for quite a few months and if we’d let it go on, we would have died. We’ll always be very grateful that she and Dave decided to call 911.”
Mr McEvoy said: “When the call came to say that they were OK, it was an incredible feeling of relief.”
After the narrow escape, the bond between the two familes grew even closer and a few weeks ago the McEvoys paid their first visit to West Virginia, where they were invited to a ceremony at the Charleston office of Bob Wise, the Governor, who gave them honorary state citizenship.
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Mr McEvoy said that their experience offered an example of the ways in which chat rooms could be used for positive ends. “All you tend to hear are negative stories about the internet, but what happened to us shows that it can be a force for good, healthy friendships and relationships.”