News That Makes Me Mad !

Mother dies after 911 call is treated as prank

Updated: 5:33 p.m. ET April 7, 2006

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.

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."

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.

Related Links:

1- 14WFIE (local TV Station)
2- MSNBC


Stories like this in the news always gets me angry....maybe that's why I quit watching local news years ago. A tragedy like this could have been easily avoided if the 911 operator had just gone ahead and passed the call over to the police. Let them check it out and see if it's a prank--if it is, then deal with it appropriately at that time.

"When in doubt, send them out!" would be my advice in a case such as this--the police can spare a few minutes to check out the call. If they've got the time to waste arresting prostitutes or issuing parking tickets or arresting someone for smoking weed, they have the time to check on what could be a life-threatening situation.

Think !

I guess that's the best advice I can offer !