| Advertisement |
Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A deputy in Augusta, Ga., died after inhaling liquid nitrogen while attempting to rescue a worker inside a sperm bank, authorities confirmed. Sgt. Greg Meagher, 57, died when he "succumbed to injuries sustained after inhaling an unknown chemical substance," on Sunday afternoon at Xytex, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office said.
Advertisement
The chemical was liquid nitrogen and is used to freeze sperm donations, said Dee Griffin, the spokeswoman for the Augusta Fire Department and Augusta's Emergency Management Agency. At room temperature, nitrogen is a gas and though it is considered non-toxic, it can cause asphyxiation if released in an enclosed space.
Three other deputies responding to the emergency at Xytex are "going to be OK" after complaining of shortness of breath, Lt. Allan Rollins of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office said late Sunday. They were identified Monday as Michael Woodard, Tiffany Justice and Chris Hill.
Firefighters found Meagher and a female Xytex employee inside the building.
They were taken to Auburn University Medical Center and Meagher was pronounced dead about 4:30 p.m., Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said. The employee's condition wasn't available.
Meagher started with the sheriff's office in 1984 and joined the Criminal Investigation Division in 1989.
In 2004, Meager was critically injured when he was shot in the jaw while assisting federal agents in a drug sting in Burke County.
Two fire department hazardous materials teams arrived at the scene and shut off liquid nitrogen tanks, the sheriff's office said. No firefighters were injured.
"Xytex provides tissue services offering a peace of mind for one's reproductive needs," according to the company website.
The company, which opened for business in 1975, stores sperm, embryos and cord blood at locations in Augusta, Atlanta and New Brunswick, N.J.
