Lewis County Sheriff’s Office: Man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after car got stuck

John Benn, 52, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after the vehicle he was traveling in got stuck in the snow earlier this month on a remote section of McCormack Ridge Road in Lewis County.

That update came Monday in a news release from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. No foul play is suspected, according to Sheriff Jason Davis.

The sheriff’s office was alerted to a vehicle off the roadway on Feb. 9. When deputies arrived, they found the passenger dead and the driver unconscious and unresponsive, according to a previous news release.

An investigation showed that Benn, the passenger, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, which was consistent with preliminary findings from blood tests conducted Feb. 9. The vehicle was found with a significant amount of snow piled up under and around it, which potentially causing the fumes to enter the vehicle’s cabin.

The driver of the vehicle, Kevin Barger, 50, was treated locally before being transferred to a larger trauma center where he was later released after extensive treatment, according to Lewis County’s news release Monday.

The investigation is now concluded.