A student at a Rhode Island university has diedfollowing the record-setting blizzard on Feb. 23, police said.
Joseph Boutros, 21, wasdiscovered unconscious inside a running vehicle on Monday evening. He was transported to Newport Hospital's Emergency Room, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. He attended Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.
"Our community mourns this tragic loss," said Salve Regina President Kelli Armstrong in a statement. "Our hearts ache with Joseph's family, teammates, faculty, coaches, friends and all who loved him. May perpetual light shine upon him and may he rest in peace."
Newport Police Department attributed the death to carbon monoxide poisoning, as the entire vehicle, including the tailpipe, was covered with snow.
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"This tragic incident was accidental and a reminder to be vigilant to keep exhaust pipes clear of snow and debris when vehicles are idling," the department's news release on the death states.
The death came as Rhode Island broke a state record for snowfall. Several towns in Rhode Island broke records for heaviest snow, reported theProvidence Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. The storm dumped 37.9 inches of snow on Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick by 7 p.m., on Monday, a state record, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service. The prior record snowfall was the Blizzard of 1978, which dropped 28.6 inches of snow in February of that year.
The snow that fell Monday alone, 35.5 inches, set the record for the highest single-day snow total, the Weather Service said. The previous record was the 19 inches that fell on Jan. 8, 1996.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal:College student dies of carbon monoxide poisoning amid blizzard
