Mom Dies After Boy's 911 Call Considered Prank

[2luvmy]

Mabel, like most things the dispatchers have to prioritize. A break in or a car theft will have to wait while life and death emergencies are handled.
And in reality she did not need the police she needed paramedics.
I don't think she spent enough time on the phone to even establish if it was a prank she immediatly assumed it was..
She did not ask his name.. She did not ask his mothers name or if she had been sick..
NO effort was made on her part except to yell at him and assume it was a prank. Absolutely no compassion for that child..

I truly think whatever else happens to her that she should have to apologize to him face to face and tell him it was her fault for not believing him.
Not that it will happen...

I agree with your post. If she should would have done a little further prodding, the boy might have revealed that his mama was sick and told him to call 911 if she ever needed help.

 

[ajc2804]

Robert says of the dispatcher on the phone, "I tried to tell them she wouldn'ttalk! I kept telling them - she wouldn't talk."

Confused, traumatized and scared the operator was going to get him in trouble, Robert hung-up the phone and started playing around the house, thinking about his mom and hoping she'd wake up.

When police finally arrived - more than three hours later, they discovered Robert's mother had died. Robert's family plans on filing a lawsuit.

There's no word on whether the dispatcher who took the call was reprimanded or not.

http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=4740512

 

[CyberLaw]

Yeah, this "also" happened when our son was five or six, and they called back and I spoke to them. A good operator will call back, you cannot, under any circumstances "assume" that this is a prank.

I feel so sorry for this child, but after the lawsuit, he will have the means hopefully to be taken care of, but of course that will never replace the mother.

I know the family is going to named as Plaintiff in the suit, so this will cost the city a fair amount, especially if they take this to "all the way to court."

I put money I hope on the City getting "good advice" and settle this out of court because when the "the other sides" lawyer plays that tape, I don't think there will be a dry eye in the courtroom . The tape is very compelling.

What a tragic, preventable, situation.

I can't even imagine what he has gone through, and what he will go though throughout his life, but I hope he does not grow up angry and bitter. I hope there will be family who loves him to help him adjust to his "life without his Mom".

She looks so happy also, what a friendly looking Mom.

I know if this ever happened in my city, there would be a "HUGE big deal made of it, and I mean a huge deal. Politics. Media. Newspapers.

Something, I hope is put in place to prevent this type of situation happening again to another family.

I would "insist" that this be a priority for the city, somehow have a system in place to "weed" out crank calls from the real citizens that need it.

After all only 25% of the calls are not legit, that still leaves "discretion" of the operator to determine if 75% of the other call are for real.

It should not be up to that one operator. There has to be a "back up". Or specific question or protocol in place when dealing with young children.

Because they are "children". If the operator can not speak to an adult, like a parent or guardian, assume that the call is real.

What finally lead to the police going over there, did this operator finally make good on her "threat" or what was the circumstances that lead the police to show up and determine that this women was indeed dead and a child was alone.

I would like to have been the fly on the wall when the 911 operator was told that she cost this women her life and left a 6 year old child motherless. I hope she had a stroke. All I would think everday for the rest of my life is that I am responsible for another person death and a child without a Mom. I could never, ever forgive myself.

We teach our children to call 911 in an emergency. We tell them when they need help to call 911. Now they are now left to wonder if any help will actually come. That is not something that children who need help should be "burdened" with. How do you now assure the children of this city, that 911 will actually be there when you need them.

That would make me "very concerned" even as an adult. Let alone the children of that city.

 

[ajc2804]

Delaina Patterson, the eldest of Turner's 10 children, said police did not arrive until three hours later. She said only Robert and his mother were home at the time

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060407/ap_on_re_us/911_call_death_2

Wow...those poor kids.

 

[mssheila]

I guess what I meant to say is that she should AT LEAST be fired.... not kept on the job- I dont care how many years she's been there.

The years on the job have quite obviously made her so jaded that she didn't take a little child seriously when he said "My mom is passed out"...

She didn't ask ANY of the required questions. She didn't even ask him to verify his address- which was a mandatory, whether she has the address or not. She also didn't send an officer to "reprimand" the boy for the "prank".. which she should have done. If she had just taken that small step, she could have prevented all of this. The boy would have shown the officer his mother really was "passed out" and the appropriate action would have them commenced.

But she did nothing. She's quite possibly even guilty of some degree of negligent manslaughter. I dont know what the right answer is there, but it's all very very tragic.

 

[blueclouds]

Oh Mabel, how awful. I hope the operator is immediately fired. You know they'll be a HUGE lawsuit over her mistake. That's something she will have to live with the rest of her life.

Wonder if there are any charges that can be brought against her?

I agree. And to hell with any lawsuits. Throw this woman in jail. SHE is not GOD! How dare she make such a judgement. What the hell, is it now ERR on the side of a hoax? Why have 911.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I used to live in a suburb just outside of Detroit and picked up a couple of their precincts on my police scanner. It was unbelievable, constant over-lapping calls about stabbings, shootings, robberies in progress....I don't know how they could possibly have enough personnel or equipment to keep up with it.

Detroit is always one of the 5 most dangerous cities of its size, so I can understand why you'd hear what you hear. It's awful.

There is nothing that can be done to bring this mother back and that is really what is sad here ... that the boy tried his best and did what he was told and nobody helped him. He is going to have to live with this - and without his mother - for the rest of his life.
This is heartwrenching.

That lady operator should be jailed. Definitely prosecuted.
No one should have such an important job if they don't do it right.
I wonder whow many other times this might have happened and we just don't hear about it because it doesn't make the news.

There's no excuse for her behavior whatsoever.
None.

That poor little boy. I can't even imagine.
I bet he feels like HE let his mother down. He will feel guilt.
And it's not even HIS fault.
Can you imagine when he gets older, how he will be messed up?
Seriously. Every time in school when it's a mother/student project, or every mother's day, he's going to think about this.
He might never be able to get over it and may be suicidal.

This operator caused much more damage than killing a woman by letting her go unhelped. She caused seriously irreversible damage.
There's no penalty severe enough for her.

Prayers, prayers and more prayers for that little boy.

 

[englishleigh]

Detroit is always one of the 5 most dangerous cities of its size, so I can understand why you'd hear what you hear. It's awful.

There is nothing that can be done to bring this mother back and that is really what is sad here ... that the boy tried his best and did what he was told and nobody helped him. He is going to have to live with this - and without his mother - for the rest of his life.
This is heartwrenching.

That lady operator should be jailed. Definitely prosecuted.
No one should have such an important job if they don't do it right.
I wonder whow many other times this might have happened and we just don't hear about it because it doesn't make the news.

There's no excuse for her behavior whatsoever.
None.

That poor little boy. I can't even imagine.
I bet he feels like HE let his mother down. He will feel guilt.
And it's not even HIS fault.
Can you imagine when he gets older, how he will be messed up?
Seriously. Every time in school when it's a mother/student project, or every mother's day, he's going to think about this.
He might never be able to get over it and may be suicidal.

This operator caused much moer damage than killing a woman by letting her go unhelped. She caused seriously irreversible damage.
There's no penalty sever enough for her.

Prayers, prayers and more prayers for that little boy.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[englishleigh]

What if we made one of those online petitions to get this woman fired and circulated it? Would that do any good, do you think?


Edited to add: This woman is guilty if dereliction of duty, at the very least. I can't believe they are keeping her on!! I bet when the Turner family finishes with the City of Detroit, she won't have a job!

 

[Valinda]

What if we made one of those online petitions to get this woman fired and circulated it? Would that do any good, do you think?


Edited to add: This woman is guilty if dereliction of duty, at the very least. I can't believe they are keeping her on!! I bet when the Turner family finishes with the City of Detroit, she won't have a job!

Absolutely, good idea!

 

[kittykat1]

This entire tragedy is UNFREAKIN'BELIEVABLE. I am so sad for the little boy.

 

[Details]

What if we made one of those online petitions to get this woman fired and circulated it? Would that do any good, do you think?


Edited to add: This woman is guilty if dereliction of duty, at the very least. I can't believe they are keeping her on!! I bet when the Turner family finishes with the City of Detroit, she won't have a job!

She needs to be fired, but a petition shouldn't be required. No matter how many years of good service, she made an instantly firable mistake, and that's it. I wonder if there's a union there that is making it hard to fire her?

 

[englishleigh]

She needs to be fired, but a petition shouldn't be required. No matter how many years of good service, she made an instantly firable mistake, and that's it. I wonder if there's a union there that is making it hard to fire her?

No, a petition shouldn't be required....there may be a union....I just realized we don't even know her name in order to create a petition...has ANY article mentioned her identity? Funny how the city is really protecting her!!!

 

[bakerprune64]

One time my cell phone got jammed down in my purse. I had perviously pre-programmed the 911 to a one touch 9 in my phone. Well somehow, the button got pushed and of course being in my purse I never knew there was anybody on the other end. A little while later I got a call from 911 operator asking if I had called or if my children had gotten hold of my phone. Of course the answer was no, but then it happened again. This time the same dispatcher was on the phone, she instructed me to take the 9 feature off my phone. That was enough for me, I learned how to lock the keys on that phone real quick! My point here is that the operator at least called to verify if there was in fact a problem or not.

 

[gatetrekker44]

In my town-any call that is placed to 911 gets SOME type of response-even if it's a police officer showing up. And I always thought that if there was a ?? as to the legitimacy of a call, that the operator or a supervisor is SUPPOSED to call the number back!

The fact that this poor child had the bad luck to get the same operator twice gives me pause-what else could he have done? I firmly believe that good record or not-the operator should be fired, her supervisor should be disciplined, and I hope the family sues the crap out of the city!!!! :doh: :banghead: :banghead:

 

[LinasK]

This story is a terrible tragedy! :razz: That *itch of an operator most definitely should be fired! :furious: It's not her job to play God. :behindbar She should have sent 911 regardless of if it was a prank- if it was, then the family pays for the cost of dispatching the ambulance and fire engine, that is a stiff deterrent. This death is unexcusable. The woman and boy both have very sweet faces, like they wouldn't harm a fly, such a shame!

 

[Opie]

The link in the very first post on this thread has a poll to vote on whether you think the 911 operator should be fired. So far, 94% think she should be fired.

 

[Jean]

The link in the very first post on this thread has a poll to vote on whether you think the 911 operator should be fired. So far, 94% think she should be fired.

Opie, Thank you for mentioning the poll, I didn't notice it while I was reading the article. I am on my way to cast my vote--fire her.

 

[tweedledee]

I am praying not only for that precious little boy and his family, but the 911 operator herself. I can't even imagine making this catastrophic of an error. She used VERY poor judgement and will have to live with that for the rest of her life. I am not defending what she has done because there is no excuse. I also am not a letigious person, but I hope the entire family (extended included) never have to worry about money again.

That poor little boy was probably raised to respect adults and mind his manners. The point where he said "ugh" and hung up just broke my heart.

 

[Bobbisangel]

A 911 operator has life and death in her hands. No matter how good an operator that she was....her lack of concern caused the death of this mom.
It's hard to believe that she didn't send anyone to check the situation out.
She may feel bad or she might not but she made a mistake that can't be replayed and handled another way. I can't believe they aren't going to fire her. If someone can get her name and writes up a petition I will gladly sign it.
I think that city should know that the nation is watching.