Mother dies after 911 call is treated as prank

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

U2Girl1978

Blue Crack Addict
Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
19,366
Location
At the altar of the dark star
DETROIT - A 5-year-old boy called 911 to report that his mother had collapsed in their apartment, but an operator told him he should not be playing on the phone, and she died before help arrived.

The family of Sherrill Turner, 46, does not know whether a swifter response could have saved her life, but relatives want to know why the operator apparently treated the call as if it were a prank.

Police said the 911 response was under investigation.

Turner's son, Robert, placed two calls to 911 after his mother collapsed Feb. 20 on the kitchen floor. During one of the calls, an operator said: "You shouldn't be playing on the phone."

In a tape of the call, parts of which were broadcast by Detroit-area television stations, the operator said: "Now put her on the phone before I send the police out there to knock on the door and you gonna be in trouble."

In an audio of the tape played on TV, some of what the boy says is unintelligible.

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.

Detroit police spokesman James Tate said it was at least an hour before authorities arrived, but he said he did not have details. By that time, the boy's mother had died, he said.

"The operator may have believed he was playing on the phone," Tate said.

The 911 operator remains on the job amid the investigation, Tate said.
 
Look at it from the other point of view.......do you know how many kids/other people ring up police stations and place fake calls? ALOT. I did that too (I know a bit better now). But nontheless, it can sometimes be really difficult to decide between a real and fake call. Especially when there's an incoherent 5 year old on the line.
 
AussieU2fanman said:
Look at it from the other point of view.......do you know how many kids/other people ring up police stations and place fake calls? ALOT. I did that too (I know a bit better now). But nontheless, it can sometimes be really difficult to decide between a real and fake call. Especially when there's an incoherent 5 year old on the line.

Which is why it isn't supposed to be a judgement call. I think here they are supposed to respond to all 911 calls as if they are real even if they think the call is a prank. If it does turn out to be a prank then the caller (or the caller's parent/parents if the caller is a kid) can be fined or charged. But they aren't just supposed to blow it off.

Many people who are injured or ill cannot speak clearly or at all when they call for help. That is NOT supposed to affect whether or not they get help.
 
indra said:


Which is why it isn't supposed to be a judgement call. I think here they are supposed to respond to all 911 calls as if they are real even if they think the call is a prank. If it does turn out to be a prank then the caller (or the caller's parent/parents if the caller is a kid) can be fined or charged. But they aren't just supposed to blow it off.

Many people who are injured or ill cannot speak clearly or at all when they call for help. That is NOT supposed to affect whether or not they get help.

Exactly........One day at my mothers house...we were in the kitchen and my daughter who was about 2 years old rang 000 (without our knowledge,of course..she was tinkering with the phone!)...The phone rang and it was the 000 operator asking if everything was all right and if anyone needed help as she could hear a toddler on the phone,she was pretty pissed off that it turned out to be a false alarm, but she still called nonetheless and checked!........Mind you, the police were well on the way and she told me that she has now cancelled the alarm but if they did not respond that we should expect a rap at the door!:shrug:
 
AussieU2fanman said:
Look at it from the other point of view.......do you know how many kids/other people ring up police stations and place fake calls? ALOT. I did that too (I know a bit better now). But nontheless, it can sometimes be really difficult to decide between a real and fake call. Especially when there's an incoherent 5 year old on the line.

This is why were I live if you call 911 twice they send a patrol car over to check it out.

IMO having an incoherent 5 year old on the line is a good reason to send a car to check the situation out.
 
Better safe than sorry.

If it turns out to be a prank, charge the kids and slap them with a bill. Don't you have to pay for paramedical services anyway?
 
Back
Top Bottom