Woman dies after 5-year-old son's call to 911 not taken seriously.

[QuietTruth]

A 911 dispatcher in Detroit is under investigation after refusing to take a 5-year-old seriously when he called about his dying mother. The Detroit Police Department promised a thorough investigation Friday after the transcripts of the call made national news last week.       

       Robert Turner, now 6, called 911 twice on Feb. 20 after his mother collapsed in her bedroom. The recording indicates his pleas were written off by operators as a prank. Robert's mother, 46-year-old Sherrill Turner, died of complications from an enlarged heart.       

       Relatives of Sherrill Turner, who had 10 children, called for the immediate firing of the operator or operators involved and demanded that dispatchers be trained to handle calls from young children more effectively.       

       "From now on, when a child calls 911, they need to follow up, no questions asked," one of Robert's older sisters, Anitra Turner, told the Detroit Free Press.       

       Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings released a statement Friday urging the public not to rush to judgment, saying residents "can be assured that our department is meticulously examining every aspect of what occurred."       

       Robert, who was alone with his mother, first called 911 about 5:59 p.m. An operator told him to bring an adult to the phone. Robert told the operator he couldn't. The exchange, according to the transcript, is as follows:


Dispatcher: "Emergency 911, what's the problem?"

Robert: "My mom has passed out. ..."

Dispatcher: "Where's Mr. Turner at?..."

Robert: "Right here."

Dispatcher: "Let me talk to him."

Robert: "She's not gonna ... she's not gonna talk."

Dispatcher: "OK, well I'm going to send the police to your house and find out what's going on with you. ..."


       According to the Detroit Free Press, the police never arrived. At 9:02 p.m., Robert called back.


Robert: "My mom has passed out. ..."

Dispatcher: "Where's the grown-ups at?"

Robert: (Inaudible)

Dispatcher: "Let me speak to her before I send the police over there."

Robert: "She's not gonna talk. ..."

Dispatcher: "Now put her on the phone before I send the police out there to knock on the door and you going to be in trouble."

Robert: "Ugh." (Hangs up.)


       Robert later told the Free Press that he was scared and hung up the phone. One of the boy's older sisters, Delaina Patterson, who lives in Novi, said police arrived at the home after 9 p.m.       

       "From what I understand they were dispatched to a call about a child playing on the phone," Patterson said. Robert's mother was found dead. It was not clear at what point she died or whether she was alive when Robert made the first call.       

       Union local president Kimberly Harris is supporting one of the operators involved, and explains that more than 25% of calls that 911 operators receive are pranks.       

       "Every call, you have somebody's life in your hands," said Harris, a 911 operator who leads the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1023. "If I had an emergency, I would want her to be on the other end of the line. I will swear to that."       

       Detroit City Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins told the Detroit Free Press that the council has not had many complaints about the city's 911 system, but she described this incident as gross negligence, stating, "It's not up to her to decide if it's a prank or not."

 

Source:Eurweb

[Javier]

Wow, motherfuckers

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

yeah, i just read this story when i signed on. shit is fucked up. they said she probably would have lived if they sent help right away.

[K A I N]

Video

http://dynamic.cnn.com/apps/tp/video/law/2006/04/09/dennis.mi.911.call.mom.dies.affl/video.ws.asx?NGUserID=false&adDEmas=R00%26hi%26cox.net%2673%26usa%26825%2692101%265%2631%26U2%26Y2%26

[coola]

man that sucks.

[africas seed]

every call should be treated seriously though cuz u never know if someone's life is on the line.

[Shallow]

I don't know if it was the same operater twice two different fuck heads but she or them should fired, charged, put in jail and then figure out how to look in the mirror and sleep at night, because I don't know how I could do either if I pulled that shit. Of course I'd never be stupid enough to do that. In Ohio a fucking cat dialed 911 and police came. These fucking idiots in Detroit have a kid telling them there is something wrong and they act like assholes. Even if you almost certain it's prank, you don't take chances, and it's not like you lose anything by putting the call through as an emergency. The whole thing just sickens me.

[Vegasmac25]

I saw this on the news yesterday and i just felt bad for the kid.I couldnt even imagine the shit he is going thru right now and yes they said it was the same operator both times.

[ωεεźγ ғ]

he's only 5 years old god damnit

[coola]

i think they should increase awareness in schools also... being told the story about the boy who cried wolf just isn't enough...

[K A I N]

She didn't even ask the right questions for example...

Whats wrong with your mother ?

Is she breathing ?

How old are you ?

This is black on black crime 

[ωεεźγ ғ]

Well you cant totally blame her, soo many lil kids make blatently false 9-1-1 calls its ridiculous

[coola]

Well you cant totally blame her, soo many lil kids make blatently false 9-1-1 calls its ridiculous

who is she to make the judgement if its fake or not ?

[cuddly]

damn, that lil boy was crying on that video.. Its just ridiculous that they didnt take the call seriously, they should take every call seriously cuz you'll never know if its a false call or not .. so better 2 times false than 1 time real,and someone losing his life.

[Fathom]

Well you cant totally blame her, soo many lil kids make blatently false 9-1-1 calls its ridiculous

You can tottally blame her.  You dispatch the emergency to the police/fire/ambulance crews and they deal with the prank.  You have no right to play god and decide what's a prank and what's not.