Monday, January 10, 2011

NO LAUGHING MATTER: THREE EAST WHITTIER MEN SERIOUSLY INJURED AFTER AN EXPLOSION OF NITROUS OXIDE IN THEIR GARAGE. WTH? NITROUS OXIDE?

By Randy EconomyBall-and-stick model of nitrous oxide, N 2 O, ...Image via Wikipedia
http://www.economy4abc.blogspot.com/
January 10, 2011
4:15 p.m.

EAST WHITTIER,CA

Three young adults are lucky to be alive today after an explosion in the garage they were hanging out in literally ripped the leg off one of them, and almost cut off the ear of another, and left the third in bad shape.

The culprit?  Nitrous Oxide. As in "laughing gas?"  WTH?  Who messes with Nitros Oxide in a closed up garage.  Better yet, were does one get their hands on such a powerful and obviously dangerous drug.  

I had to go to Wikipedia to see for myself what the description of Nitros Oxide, and this is what I learned:

Structural formulae of the canonical forms of ...Image via Wikipedia"Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a chemical compound with the formula N2O. It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as a dissociative anesthetic. It is also used as an oxidizer in rocketry and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen."
Ahh.  Okay.  Now I got it.  Crazy.

The explosion took place in the 16000 block of Russell Street in the Unicorporated Los Angeles County Area of East Whittier.  Fire and emergency crews responded to the call at almost 3 a.m. Monday morning. Wait a second?  3 a.m?  OKAY.  Now I get it.
Victims were:
  1. Ricardo Zazueta, 25, of Whittier, whose leg was severed;
  2. Gilbert Bustamante, 21, of Whittier, who had severe second-degree burns;
  3. Clifford Brooks, 22, of Ventura County who had injuries to one ear.

An 8 g canister of nitrous oxide intended for ...Image via WikipediaOne media outlet said Zazueta's leg was completely severed below the knee and "sent across the room."  Horrific scene I am sure. Bottom line.  Nitrous Oxide is "no laughing matter." I wish all three of these men a full recovery.
Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

2 comments:

Steve Whittier said...

Randy the Whittier PD has put this "official" information on it's news blog today. FYI.
Steve Whittier


Whittier, CA - On January 10th, after receiving numerous calls of a loud explosion in the area of 16000 Russell Street, Whittier police officers arrived at 2:40am to find three injured males inside a garage. Moments earlier, a nitrous oxide tank exploded that severed the leg of Ricardo Zazueta (25 yrs of Whittier), severely burned (2nd degree) Gilbert Bustamante (21 yrs of Whittier), and damaged the ear of Clifford Brooks (22 yrs of Ventura County). At this time it is unknown what caused the blast which also partially blew off the garage door and lifted the roof off of the three car garage. Several pieces of shrapnel were located in the area as well, one of which pierced the garage roof and started a small fire in the backyard after it landed.

All three victims were transported to UCI Medical Center in various conditions where they remain at this time. Zazueta was transported and remains in critical condition, while the others were listed as "stable." Being that the victims could not be interviewed at this time, it is unknown how the nitrous oxide tank was being utilized, if at all. Several additional young adult men were present at the location, but no responsible property owner or agent was present.

Eric Snowden said...

Actually two were, the third was watch commander that night instructing all law enforcement personnel to cancel all further investigations into the incident.
Enigma Generated Coding

A hacked system is a up to date one.