Mom Dies After Boy's 911 Call Considered Prank

[HotCorner]

Absolutely indefensible!

http://www.channelcincinnati.com/fam...43/detail.html

DETROIT -- A 6-year-old boy's 911 call for help was thought to be a prank, but the call was real and the boy's mother died, according to WDIV-TV in Detroit.

Robert Turner called 911 to get help for his mother, Sherel Turner, 46, whom he found lying unconscious on the kitchen floor of their Detroit apartment in February, the station reported.

"Then I had felt her tummy. She wasn't breathing. Then I had called 911," said Robert. "I told them to send an emergency truck right now."

911 Operator: "911. What's the problem?"

Robert: "My mom has passed out."

The 911 operator, however, did not take him seriously and told him to stop playing on the phone, the station reported.

911 Operator: "Where's the grownups at?"

Robert: (Inaudible)

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

"I tried to tell them she wouldn't talk," said Robert.

Robert: (Inaudible)

911 Operator: "I don't care. You shouldn't be playing on the phone. Now put her on the phone before I send the police out there to knock on the door and you gonna be in trouble."

Robert: "Ugh!" (Hangs up.)

Kimberly Harris, the union president of AFSCME Local 1023, said more than a quarter of phone calls received by 911 operators are prank calls. She also said that everybody does not express their pain or emergencies the same way.

"That operator could have had five prank calls. Kids calling in prior to that call. And please, don't think that I am trying to make an excuse. That was a tragedy," said Harris.

Officials said the 911 operator will be disciplined, but because of her years of service she will not be fired.

"I know that operator. I know that she is a very good operator," said Harris. "She is very thorough."

Robert said every time someone talks about his mother, he starts crying.

Police continue to investigate.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Sad. This why each 911 prank call needs to be punished. If it is a child, then punish the parents for lack-of-control or bad parenting (say a $1,000 fine after one warning). If the child is not old enough to know any better, then that child is not old enough to be left alone. Therefore, it is the fault of the parent. No other way about it.

Don't know about all of you... if my parents were notified that their child (me!) had made a prank to the 911 service, I would not have "risked my life" by doing it a 2nd time. That is b/c my parnets taught me the diff. between right and wrong. And they punished me when I violated their rules or did something wrong.

[bucksfan]

I don't see how you can make a judgement not to respond when it is a kid that young calling. Fines for prank calls should be set at levels sufficient to reimburse for expenses incurred so there are no misgivings about dispatching help immediately. We have just started teaching our daughter this skill with as much direction as we possibly can about only using it if the grownup in charge is really hurt and tells you to or you cannot get them to talk or wake up. It is disheartening that she might be able to do that and not be taken seriously.

[Johnny Footstool]

All 911 calls should be taken seriously. The dispatcher has the phone number and (in most cases) address the instant the call connects. Even if they suspect the call is a prank, they should send the nearest car to investigate.

[Dom Heffner]

You send the poilce for every call and you publicly prosecute those which are pranks. They have millions of public service commercials about epople with different skin types, smoking, diversity....geesh, make one about how you'll be prosecuted for making prank 911 calls.

Funny thing is, I can't see anything in the transcript that indicates this was a prank.

[RFS62]

I was in an apartment in Florida about ten years ago, and I started to dial long distance back home to North Carolina, which has a 910 area code.

I mis-dialed and hit 911, realized it, and hung up and dialed again.

About five minutes later, a Sheriff's cruiser showed up knocking on the door. I had no idea why, and he said someone dialed 911. He insisted on coming in and looking around, which I was fine with. He even looked in the shower, everywhere, making sure someone wasn't there who needed help.

[vaticanplum]

I was in an apartment in Florida about ten years ago, and I started to dial long distance back home to North Carolina, which has a 910 area code.

I mis-dialed and hit 911, realized it, and hung up and dialed again.

About five minutes later, a Sheriff's cruiser showed up knocking on the door. I had no idea why, and he said someone dialed 911. He insisted on coming in and looking around, which I was fine with. He even looked in the shower, everywhere, making sure someone wasn't there who needed help.

I had to read this twice before I realized it said "looked in the shower" rather than "took a shower". Which would have been quite odd.

[pedro]

I was in an apartment in Florida about ten years ago, and I started to dial long distance back home to North Carolina, which has a 910 area code.

I mis-dialed and hit 911, realized it, and hung up and dialed again.

About five minutes later, a Sheriff's cruiser showed up knocking on the door. I had no idea why, and he said someone dialed 911. He insisted on coming in and looking around, which I was fine with. He even looked in the shower, everywhere, making sure someone wasn't there who needed help.

Did he ask you if Spirit was ever going to get back together?

[M2]

Did he ask you if Spirit was ever going to get back together?

Did he find Randy California hiding under the bed?

[westofyou]

Did he find Randy California hiding under the bed?

No but Rfs looked ALOT like Jay Ferguson.

Caught by the rain and blinded by the lightnin'
We rode the storm out there on Thunder Island

[RBA]

Not that it really matters, but did they determine that the Mom died after the call was placed? She may of been dead before the call.

[MWM]

"I know that operator. I know that she is a very good operator," said Harris. "She is very thorough."

Clearly she's not a very good operator and isn't very thorough. This quote made me laugh a little.

[Dom Heffner]

Clearly she's not a very good operator and isn't very thorough. This quote made me laugh a little.

I thought the same thing when reading that. Apparently what happened here is she just got caught for the first time being not thorough.

[savafan]

Funny thing is, I can't see anything in the transcript that indicates this was a prank.

When I read this quote:

"She also said that everybody does not express their pain or emergencies the same way."

I thought perhaps there was something in the boy's tone of voice that made her think he wasn't being serious. Dunno...

[remdog]

Many municipalities (at least here in California) charge homeowners for responding to false burgler alarms. I believe they get one 'freebie'. Couldn't the same be done for 911 calls? Someone's life shouldn't be at stake because an operator makes a bad judgement call.

Rem