Grieving Mother Fighting For Indiana To Require Carbon Monoxide Detectors
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Indiana is one of four states in the country that does not require carbon monoxide detectors.
Grieving mother, Dot Kesling, says she will not stop fighting until it's the law.
Kesling's daughter, Lindsey who had a lifetime ahead of her, died in her sleep in November of 2010 after fumes from her running car filled her apartment with a fatal level of carbon monoxide.
Her daughter didn't have a carbon monoxide detector.
"If there was a carbon monoxide alarm in her home, she would still be here with us," Kesling said.
Lindsey's home state does not have any requirements for an alarm.
State Senator Mike Bohacek is the author of a recent bill requiring carbon monoxide detectors in single and multi-family residential construction.
"Unfortunately it did not get a hearing in 2017," Bohacek said.
He said this is because of push back from local builders in Indiana who considered the requirement burdensome.
Kesling believes that if 46 other states are able to make it law, Indiana should, too.
"That is right, that is reasonable and that is lifesaving," she said. "And that is not too much to ask for our legislators and our lawmakers."
Bohacek said he will continue fighting as Indiana moves to adopt the 2018 International Building Code. He is pushing to keep a carbon monoxide detector requirement in the language of that code.
Kesling's foundation has a partnership with Aurora-based First Alert, which has helped them donate thousands of carbon monoxide detectors across the state since 2013.
