Boy dies after ventilator stops during power outage

July 18, 2008 05:29 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

A 15-year-old disabled boy died this morning when his ventilator stopped during a power outage in East Boston, police said.

Fernando Vargas

When Fernando Vargas's ventilator, a device that had kept him alive for years, stopped, family members switched to a battery-powered backup. But when Vargas was checked a short time later, the ventilator sat idle and the teen lay lifeless in his bed.

"The battery was supposed to last 10 hours," Vargas's stepfather, Ariel Acevedo, said this afternoon, his voice quivering. "I don't know what happened ... I lost my boy. I lost him."

Boston police are investigating the death and said they will test the ventilator and battery backup for malfunctions. A preliminary investigation showed that the backup failed, police said.

The state medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine an exact cause of death. Vargas suffered from several debilitating conditions, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and seizures.

A police spokeswoman said the death appears to be a tragic accident. "What they believe at this point is that the backup power supply failed. ... Why that is, we don't know, but his family is devastated," said Elaine Driscoll.

Police found the boy dead after responding to a call for a cardiac arrest on Vallar Road at about 6:10 a.m., said Officer Eddy Chrispin, a police spokesman. Chrispin said a police investigation, conducted by homicide detectives, is part of protocol.

Vargas's family, originally from Puerto Rico, has lived at the complex at least eight years, according to neighbors.

Boston Housing Authority records show that the electrical systems at the Orient Heights housing development where the Vargas family lives were upgraded in 1998 and 1999 and that NSTAR also upgraded some electrical systems at about the same time, said BHA spokesman William McGonagle.

"My understanding is that there has been no problem since those upgrades,'' he said.

He said the family has lived in the development for about the last nine years and are well known among their fellow tenants and BHA staff.

"The entire BHA staff sends its condolences to the family,'' he said. "We are going to offer whatever support we can to help them get through these difficult times.''

John R. Ellement of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.