A veterinarian who died while operating on a dog inside a mobile animal care van in Queens succumbed to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, the city’s medical examiner announced Thursday.
Ashraf Hussein, 56, was found dead inside the van parked next to a thick snow bank on 65th Ave. and Parsons Blvd. in Flushing at about 9:25 a.m. Sunday. A small white dog that a co-worker said Hussein had been operating on to remove a mass in the animal’s paw also died.
The owner of the mobile vet clinic, Garo Alexanian, 73, was found unconscious outside the van by neighbors who called 911. Alexanian told a woman who came to his aid that he and the victim had been trapped inside the van for hours before he managed to escape and collapsed on the sidewalk.
Investigators suspect the poorly ventilated van was filled with fumes after the vehicle’s exhaust pipe became packed with snow, police said.
Hussein worked for the mobile clinic for more than 15 years and had a close relationship with Alexanian, according to his wife.
Hussein performed surgeries for the mobile clinic every Tuesday and Saturday, Hussein’s wife told the Daily News.
“He loves animals very much,” said 46-year-old Marwa Mansour. “That’s why he became a veterinarian, because he loved animals.”
