GREENSBURG, Ind. – A Greensburg Walmart associate who was hospitalized for carbon monoxide exposure claims she notified management numerous times about the possible leak.
The worker fell ill while working third shift and was admitted to Decatur County Memorial Hospital after leaving the store around 7 a.m. Friday.
She spoke with WRBI on a condition of anonymity to protect her job.
Emergency crews were called around 8:30 a.m. to the Walmart Supercenter after carbon monoxide was believed to be leaking from the heating units. The store was evacuated until 11 a.m.
The worker said she noticed the smell of gas two weeks ago and alerted management.
“The last two days were pretty bad and yesterday was really bad,” she said. “I went to one manager and he said ‘go to a different area of the apparel [section] and come back’.”
A second manager disregarded her warning before she became sick, she said.
She later jotted down the phone number to Walmart’s Corporate Office in Arkansas to notify them.
She received two calls from the local store manager after her shift. The first before the evacuation and the second was after.
“The manager calls me back and he said, ‘the CO2 level in your area was very high and you need to go to the doctor and be checked’,” she claimed.
She believes the incident could have been much worse:
Blood tests confirmed the woman had carbon monoxide poisoning, relatives said.
The worker is believed to be the only person hospitalized from the Walmart incident. She was released Friday night.
Walmart released the following statement to WRBI:
“The safety of our customers and associates is a top priority. We’re glad everyone is safe and we are thankful to first responders for their quick action.”
