abc news wrote:
After his mother collapsed, unconscious, six-year-old Robert Turner did exactly what he'd been taught to do in an emergency. He dialed 911.
In a recording of the first call, the son is heard saying, "My mom is passed out." The operator responds, "Where's Mister Turner at?" Robert Turner explains that his mother is unable to talk. The operator then says "Okay, well, I'm going to send the police over to your house to find out what's going on," and then hangs up.
But neither the police nor medical personnel ever arrived, according to family members.
Three hours later, the boy called again.
In the second call, the operator asks to speak to his mother, "before I send the police over there." She then tells the son, "You shouldn't be playing on the phone. Now put her on the phone before I send the police over there to knock on the door, and you're going to be in trouble."
Again, neither police nor medical personnel responded and 46-year-old Sherill Turner died.
The incident occurred in February and weeks later, police say the incident remains under investigation.
Robert is now staying with relatives, one of whom, Tyrone Patterson, said of 911 operators, "Everyone should be trained to treat every situation as an emergency. People do not call 911 as a joke."
But pranks do happen a lot.
Officials estimate about one-in-four calls to Detroit's EMS service are not legitimate and they say responding to every single one of them would strain resources.
The Turner family's attorney now plans to file a wrongful death suit against the city, but young Robert says he'd settle for having his mom back.
In a recording of the first call, the son is heard saying, "My mom is passed out." The operator responds, "Where's Mister Turner at?" Robert Turner explains that his mother is unable to talk. The operator then says "Okay, well, I'm going to send the police over to your house to find out what's going on," and then hangs up.
But neither the police nor medical personnel ever arrived, according to family members.
Three hours later, the boy called again.
In the second call, the operator asks to speak to his mother, "before I send the police over there." She then tells the son, "You shouldn't be playing on the phone. Now put her on the phone before I send the police over there to knock on the door, and you're going to be in trouble."
Again, neither police nor medical personnel responded and 46-year-old Sherill Turner died.
The incident occurred in February and weeks later, police say the incident remains under investigation.
Robert is now staying with relatives, one of whom, Tyrone Patterson, said of 911 operators, "Everyone should be trained to treat every situation as an emergency. People do not call 911 as a joke."
But pranks do happen a lot.
Officials estimate about one-in-four calls to Detroit's EMS service are not legitimate and they say responding to every single one of them would strain resources.
The Turner family's attorney now plans to file a wrongful death suit against the city, but young Robert says he'd settle for having his mom back.
I happen find this story to be pretty sad, but it is probably another case of what happens when an adult underestimates a child and thinks that they are not even capable of making an emergency call. It's pretty messed up how in schools they drill into your head that when there is an emergency to dial 911, yet when this poor kid did just that, his call went ignored and was pretty much called a liar.
I seriously hope this woman loses her job and the family sues the **** out of her.
Edited, Mon Apr 17 09:49:17 2006 by DarkKnightZero