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911 Operator Scolds Boy, Mom Dies

What a tragic story. Why the operator did not take the call seriously? I know they may get many pranks but I believe every call should be taken seriously, it should not be an excuse for inaction. Help arrived three hours later and the mom of the boy was already dead:

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."...

https://heraldnet.com/stories/06/04/08/100wir_a4scold001.cfm

Edited: LDS_forever on 10th Apr, 2006 - 1:56pm

Dies Mom Boy Scolds Operator

This is the most horrible story. Oh, that poor child will have the hardest time coming to trust people in authority. How awful. We were reading scripture in my home yesterday and I said something like "I know that Jesus Christ was so pure in his love of everyone, but I have to stop and remind myself when I hear such terrible things that happen to children." That just brought up the conversation in my head again. I'm sure we will include him in our prayers.

911 Operator Scolds Boy, Mom Dies History & Civil Business Politics

What also didn't make sense is that one of the operators involved (the boy called twice!) has not been sent home because he/she has been an operator for 18+ years. What does that have to do with anything? He/she failed to do their job, and regardless of how much tenure they have in that position, it was still negligence and it cost a woman her life. Both operators should have been suspended indefinitely without pay until a formal investigation was carried out and completed, in my opinion.

Dies Mom Boy Scolds Operator

Think in any other job, they would have been sent home first, questions asked later, so why not in this job?

As Malexander pointed out, the bad judgment cost this lady her life, and took a little boy's Mother from him!

Something that can never be put right, it really is so very tragic!

Edited: LDS_forever on 10th Apr, 2006 - 7:49pm