Gretchen Henry The June 6 commentary by Jim Walsh, “Three deaths remembered in Nahant,” began as a beautiful tribute to the members of the Benson family, who died tragically in January in Nahant from carbon monoxide poisoning attributed to a faulty furnace installed in their home. Walsh movingly described his friend, John Benson, and his words momentarily brought him back to life, a devoted son with a love of nature, especially birds, with a wonderful singing voice that resounded in North Shore churches. In trying to understand the Benson tragedy, Walsh wrote that the Bensons “died from poisonous CO2 gas, emitted from a furnace that had been installed secretly, imperfectly, without a permit, and never inspected.
” He concluded, “I find myself asking if there will ever be a consequence for those whose actions appeared to have caused those deaths.” Every tragedy begs answers to the question: Why did this happen? How did this happen? Who is responsible? Walsh’s remembrance should have been a plea to never forget lives well-lived and to never cease seeking how this tragic loss of life could be prevented in the future. What would have been a beautiful tribute was tarnished by unwarranted words in one paragraph.
In citing the police report, Walsh wrote that the investigating officer “asked the installer of that furnace if he obtained a permit from the town, the plumber’s response was, ‘We did not, that’s on us.’” This was a callous and flippant response to .