Carbon monoxide kills Borden man working in oil patch

A family in Borden, Sask. is mourning after an oil worker died while at away at work.

According to his cousin, Curtis Torrens finished work on Oct. 14 and went back to his trailer for the night, but never woke up.

Torrens, 36, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in his sleep.

Cousin Jim Trapp told 650 CKOM Tuesday he doesn’t blame the northern Sask. oil patch where Torrens worked for his death, but believes more needs to be done to raise awareness about carbon monoxide.

“Such a young, spry, strong man with a family goes quiet in the night,” Trapp said.

“(Carbon monoxide) sneaks up on you and just kills you while you’re sleeping.”

Trapp wants there to be more regulations for carbon monoxide detectors in Saskatchewan.

“It’s not just installing them, it’s making sure they work,” he said. “Cause this colourless, odourless gas can kill you.”

Torrens’ leaves behind a wife, Elizabeth, and three young kids – his son, Ryley, and daughters, Anna and Shelby.

“The last time we saw him was at his own dad’s funeral, so it’s a pretty nasty thing,” Trapp said.

A fund for his family has been started through Affinity Credit Unions called the “Curtis Torrens Family Fund.”