A veterinarian and a dog died, while another man was left unconscious, after snow clogged up the exhaust of the mobile clinic in Queens on Sunday, authorities said.
The vet, a 57-year-old man, was discovered by cops responding to a 911 call for an unconscious person at 157-18 65th Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills around 9:25 a.m., police and law-enforcement sources said.
The other man, 73-year-old Garo Alexanian, the owner of the “Low Cost Vet Mobile” van operating as a veterinary clinic, was also found unconscious and unresponsive according to authorities and his family members.
The scene of where a veterinarian died in Queens after snow clogged the exhaust of his mobile clinic on Sunday. David Burns/@FD4D
A generator next to the parked mobile clinic van. David Burns/@FD4D
The 57-year-old vet found in the van died while the 73-year-old man is in stable condition at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital. David Burns/@FD4D
EMS pronounced the veterinarian dead, while Alexanian was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in stable condition, according to authorities.
Alexanian’s brother, Alex Aliksanyan, told The Post that the incident was “a tragedy in any way you look at it.”
“It’s a tragedy, and I hope at least one of the two of them survives,” Aliksanyan said.
Signs seen on the back of the mobile clinic van. David Burns/@FD4D
A sign on the generator next to the van warning against using it indoors or too close to windows or vents. David Burns/@FD4DThe brother of the clinic owner said Alexanian and the vet were operating on a dog on Saturday night when the generator exhaust began pouring into the van.
“From what we heard from Garo, that the vet just collapsed, and then Garo collapsed, and he was on the floor for about four hours, lying next to the dead vet.” Aliksanyan said.
His brother managed to drag himself out of the van — with a good Samaritan noticing him and calling 911, Aliksanyan recounted.
“From what we heard, he’s still on 100% oxygen, he was admitted to the hospital for tonight. He’s very weak. He’s in a lot of pain. His nose was broken which they repaired and stitched up.” Aliksanyan said.
Aliksanyan said that his brother “seems to be OK, as well as OK as you can be for inhaling carbon monoxide for four hours.”
“He’svery dedicated to the cause of providing low-cost animal healthcare to people that can’t really afford it, and he’s been doing it for … a decade,” Aliksanyan said of his brother’s business.
“People knew about him, there would be a line in front of the van for people to get in for low-cost vet care. It was very popular, very successful … and then this thing happened yesterday.”
The “Low Cost Vet Mobile” offers veterinary services, including annual check-ups and surgeries, out of its on-wheels exam room, according to its website.
Pictures showed the van decked out with newspaper clipping touting the accolades of the mobile vet service.
The vet who died wasn’t immediately publicly identified.
A co-worker of his who spoke to The New York Daily News described him as “a nice guy” who was always willing to lend a helping hand.
He’d go out of his way to help you. He’d do anything for the animals as a veterinarian,” the co-worker told the Daily News.
The co-worker also told the Daily News that a little white Scotty dog had perished with the vet.
An investigation was ongoing. The office of the chief medical examiner will determine the cause of death, police said.
— Additional reporting by Zoe Hussain
