Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of longtime Yankee outfielder Brett Gardner, died from carbon monoxide poisoning while vacationing at a resort in Costa Rica — a tragedy that was entirely preventable. Despite initial denials, a routine blood test confirmed the cause, underscoring the importance of mechanical maintenance and working carbon monoxide detectors.
Last month, a family vacation turned into a preventable tragedy, especially for those associated with the New York Yankees organization. Although the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Costa Rica initially denied that carbon monoxide was the cause of the death of Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of longtime Yankee outfielder Brett Gardner, a simple blood test definitively proved otherwise. Elevated levels of carboxyhemoglobin (Figure 1) are conclusive evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning, not food poisoning, as was initially suggested. Figure 1. The structures of hemoglobin (L) and carboxyhemoglobin (R) differ only by the molecule bound to the iron atom (orange). In normal hemoglobin, iron binds oxygen (O₂), enabling its transport throughout the bloodstream. In carboxyhemoglobin, the iron binds carbon monoxide (CO) instead, blocking oxygen transport and leading to asphyxiation. The green oval shows the oxygen molecule normally bound to hemoglobin. The blue oval highlights carbon monoxide What Makes CO So Dangerous? How can a gas…