Melvin Lewis, Washington DC man, dead after Freon leak at hospital
Police investigators are now looking deeper into a deadly freon leak at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Northwest D.C. which have been linked to the death of one man.
Melvin Lewis, a worker at the hospital died and four others were taken to an emergency room after being “overcome with fumes” while attempting to repair the air conditioning near the auditorium.
One other employee was treated extensively at the ER and then released.
Some of the building was evacuated for about an hour until the patients were allowed to return.
No further information was immediately available about the cause of the fumes or what they were, but the hospital says it’s cooperating with “external agencies” and there will be an internal review.
“All of us who are part of the Hospital Center and MedStar Health families send deepest sympathies and prayers to the Lewis family. Mr. Lewis was well-known throughout the hospital and will be remembered for always flashing an ever-ready smile,” the hospital said in the release.
The hospital says the cause of the leak is under investigation.