Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona Mirror
January 2008
A woman fell asleep while smoking in Altoona, Pennsylvania, sparking a fire that killed herself and her hearing impaired 68-year-old mother. The mother, who was asleep upstairs, did not hear the smoke alarm go off without the assistance of her hearing instruments, which she had properly taken off prior to retiring.
"Snyder’s death raises another issue that some people might not have considered: the problems the hearing impaired may have in being awakened by a smoke alarm. Isenberg said that a smoke alarm on the second floor was sounding, however, authorities believe Snyder probably didn’t hear it because she wasn’t wearing her hearing aids at the time."
Had the family installed a special smoking alarm with adequately loud alerts for the hearing impaired the woman's life would have likely been spared...
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