Iowa Police Chief Sues Law Enforcement Academy Over Toxic Gas Leak in 2018

A police chief is suing the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for injuries he suffered from a 2018 carbon monoxide leak that exposed dozens of recruits to unsafe levels of the toxic gas.

Justin Lyman, police chief in the northwestern Iowa town of Newell, was among dozens of trainees sleeping in a dormitory on the academy’s Johnston campus when its ventilation systems failed.

In an amended petition, Lyman said he and his roommates woke up light-headed and one of them began having a seizure after the colorless, odorless gas spread.

Lyman’s lawsuit says that he immediately began helping evacuate the building, alerting cadets, propping doors open for ventilation and telling others to contact emergency responders.

Lyman and about 70 others were admitted to local hospitals for treatment. They were all participating in the academy’s 16-week basic training session to become certified peace officers in Iowa.

A state investigation later blamed infrastructure failures for causing the leak in the 48-year-old building, which did not have carbon monoxide detectors and was slated for demolition. An air handling unit and a heating boiler simultaneously malfunctioned.

The academy was cited for exposing 77 recruits to unsafe levels of carbon monoxide — including three that faced potentially lethal levels — and for not having an effective ventilation system. It paid a $5,500 fine.

Lyman’s lawsuit claims that the academy was negligent in maintaining the building, and that h’s entitled to damages for his pain and suffering, loss of capacity to enjoy life, and past and future medical bills.