Bill in Memory of Woodbury Teen Aims to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Deaths

Sen. Chuck Wiger introduced a bill last week in memory of Woodbury resident Tyler Lavers, who died at age 19 from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The bill, SF1042, would require driver’s education teachers to talk about the dangers of carbon monoxide and require a related question on permit tests.

In December, Tyler, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota and a Hill-Murray graduate, was installing a new speaker system on his car in the garage at the family’s cabin. He had to turn on the Pontiac Grand Prix to test it out. Even though he had the garage door open, the cold air and confined space exacerbated the effects of the gas, leaving him unconscious in a few minutes and dead within 15, his father, Jeff Lavers told  Patch.

“Only now am I coming to grips with the fact that the only thing that could have kept Tyler alive was knowledge,” Jeff Lavers said in a hearing March 16 in the Minnesota House.

State Rep. Andrea Kieffer, a Republican from Woodbury, is the chief author of the companion bill in the house, HF650.

Jeff and his wife Kelly Lavers, have been speaking with driver’s education instructors and working with lawmakers to get the legislation passed, Kelly Lavers said. It’s the first time she has worked on behalf of a bill, and she said legislators have been responsive and helpful.

In researching carbon monoxide poisoning, Kelly said she learned that most young people don’t receive a lot of education about its dangers, and driver’s education teachers only talk about information that will be on the test, which is why it was so important to have that component of the bill included. She likened the question to parts of the test that ask young motorists about drinking and driving or bus safety.

“It’s never safe to warm up your car in your garage,” she said. “And the carbon monoxide can also seep into your house.”

The bill has garnered the support of Ramsey County’s chief medical examiner and Twin Cities police, fire and emergency departments, Kelly Lavers said.

“Our goal is really just to inform,” she said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Wiger (DFL—District 55), of Maplewood, said there is "very strong" bipartisan support for the bill in the Minnesota Senate, and he expects a hearing on the bill soon.

Here’s what’s happened this past week with other bills authored or co-authored by your legislators:

Sen. Chuck Wiger—Co-sponsored a bill that appropriates a match for FEMA disaster assistance money to the Department of Public Safety, money for special investigative and hearing costs to the Board on Judicial Standards, money to fund a deficiency for tax court, and money to pay legal fees related to the case of the American Broadcasting Company v. Mark Ritchie, et al. SF975, introduced March 21.

Rep. Nora Slawik—Co-sponsored a bill that modifies early intervention criteria to include a child who is the subject of a child maltreatment report. HF1202, introduced March 21. 

Rep. Nora Slawik—Co-sponsored a bill that modifies the requirements of the annual child maltreatment report. HF1203, introduced March 21.  

Sen. Chuck Wiger—Co-sponsored a bill that clarifies professional development and evaluation requirements for probationary and contract teachers. SF1010, introduced March 23.

Sen. Chuck Wiger—Introduced a bill that adjusts state government funding. SF1031, introduced March 25. 

Sen. Chuck Wiger—Co-sponsored a bill that transfers money appropriated for a Bayport storm sewer project to the City of Oak Park Heights for a pedestrian tunnel project. SF1050, introduced March 28. 

Editor's Note: Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they're voting, the bills they're writing and the issues they're getting behind. Come back to Oakdale Patch every Monday for a new Capitol Review.