Ross Powell, who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1993 after the team drafted him in the third round of the 1989 MLB Draft, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a report by CBS 11's Brooke Rogers, and the 49-year-old's body was found along with that of his 72-year-old father, Lyle, in a lawn care van in Texas. The van was a Lawn Doctor of McKinney and Allen TX.
Ross Powell had just opened his lawn care franchise, Lawn Doctor of McKinney/Allen, last month. Family members say he was extremely close to his father, Lyle, who was in the van with him yesterday.
Investigators are now trying to determine the source of the fumes in the lawn care van.
Powell appeared in nine games for the Reds in 1993, striking out 17 in 16 1/3 innings. The Reds traded Powell to the Houston Astros in April of 1994 with Marty Lister for catcher Eddie Taubensee.
Powell pitched for Houston in 1994 and 1995, and Pittsburgh in 1995.
Lawn Doctor of McKinney and Allen TX is owned and operated by Ross Powell, a long-time resident of McKinney, a Collin County city known for its Victorian-era homes and charming downtown. Part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney has been in the top five in Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live in America” list since 2010. According to Ross, “A great-looking yard makes a statement. It shows that you care about the value of your own property, your neighbors’ and your community.”
Ross has a diverse background, including having grown up on a farm and as a former Major League Baseball pitcher! Today, he enjoys building his local lawn care business, and providing a service that is both valued and respected. “What I find great about Lawn Doctor is how I can provide the comprehensive lawn care service and convenience of a national brand, while still having the ability to add the personal touch of a well-known, customer-focused, engaged local owner,” he says.
Ross has two sons in college who work in the business during breaks from school, and they all enjoy the outdoors. Ross goes out for a run every chance he gets, and family barbecues on their back patio are a regular occurrence. “Personally,” Ross adds, “I love the look and feel of a thick, healthy lawn. It just invites you to take your shoes off and go barefoot across it. It lifts yours spirits.”
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COLLIN COUNTY, Texas -- A strange odor is being investigated in Luca, Texas after two people were found unconscious inside a van early Wednesday evening.
A Collin County sheriff's deputy and four firefighters were called to check out the van, which belonged to a lawn care company, at about 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Two people inside the van, believed to be employees of the lawn care company, were pronounced dead. They have been identified as Ross Powell, 49, and Lyle Powell, 72. The medical examiner's office has determined that they died of accidental carbon monoxide toxicity.
When emergency crews opened the door, they were overcome by a strong smell of ammonia, officials said. They had skin irritation, chest pain, nausea, and a dry cough, and were sent to the hospital to be checked out. They have all since been released.
HazMat teams called to the scene found different chemicals inside the van. However, nothing was over the limit as far as being hazardous. No chemicals were labeled as ammonia, although that's how the smell is being described.
Officials say the ambulance and other equipment involved in the investigation will have to be de-contaminated due to the chemicals.
Residents nearby were told to shelter in place, but no one was evacuated.
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Two men were discovered dead in Lucas Wednesday afternoon in what the Collin County Sheriff’s Office believes was an accident.
Lyle John Powell, 72, and his son, Ross John Powell, 49, were discovered slumped over in their work van at Enchanted Way and Sara Cove by witnesses who called the sheriff’s office at 3:50 p.m., according to Capt. Jim Moody.
Investigators believe, Moody said, that the father and son died from carbon monoxide poisoning given off from a generator running inside their van.
“They do have a theory. They’ve got some witnesses that put it all together for them. I can tell you I believe it was unintentional,” he said. “It’s just a very tragic and horrific accident.”
Moody said the two men were subcontractors for a lawn service. Investigators do not believe that the two men had been sitting in the van “very long at all” before they died, he added.
Moody said he did not know where the Powells resided. William Rohr, a medical examiner based in McKinney, will determine the cause of death.
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LUCAS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – On Wednesday two men that were found deceased in a work van in Lucas are a father and son. The Collin County Sheriff’s Department said it appears the van rolled to a stop in the cul-de-sac off Thunder Bay Drive and Enchanted Way.
Authorities say the bodies of 49-year-old Ross Powell and his 72-year-old father Lyle were discovered in the lawn care van. Ross Powell had just opened his lawn care franchise, lawn doctor of McKinney/Allen, last month. He had left behind a career in baseball, which included stints as a major league pitcher for Houston, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Family members say he was extremely close to his 72-year-old father, Lyle, who was in the van with him yesterday.
When a sheriff’s deputy opened the door, he was overcome by fumes.
Hazmat was called in, and neighbors were kept away. “We smelled, almost an ammonia odor but not exactly, and it tasted sweet in the air,” says Lucas EMS worker Aaron Alderdice.
Alderdice was one of the first ones on scene. “We had no idea what was onboard. It was right around the school. We had school buses coming through, kids getting off, walking home, trying to see what we’re doing.”
Alderdice and four colleagues had also been exposed to the fume and were all taken to the hospital for decontamination, as was the sheriff’s deputy. Alderdice was back at work last night, saying he was never worried about himself.
The medical examiner ruled the deaths as carbon monoxide poisoning. Investigators are now trying to determine the source of the fumes in the lawn care van.