While Mom's Dying, Boy Scolded By 911

[undergroundrailroad]

While Mom's Dying, Boy Scolded By 911

NEW YORK, April 10, 2006

(CBS/AP) Robert Turner was only 5-years old when his mother collapsed at their home in Detroit, but he knew what to do in an emergency. He called 911 for help. But, as the tapes of those calls show, he couldn't convince the operator he was really in trouble.

First call, Feb. 20, 5:59 p.m.

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

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

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

Robert: "Right here."

Dispatcher: "Let me speak to him."

Robert: "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 ..."

No help arrived, and three hours later, Robert tried again.

Second call, Feb. 20, 9:02 p.m.

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

Robert: "My mom has passed out...in her room."

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

Robert: "In her room."

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

Robert: "She's not gonna talk."

Dispatcher: "Huh?"

Robert: "She's not gonna talk."

Dispatcher: "Ok, well, you know what, then she's gonna talk to the police ok? She's gonna talk to the police because I'm sending them over there.

Robert: (Inaudible)

Dispatcher: "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're going to be in trouble."

Robert: "Ugh."

Robert's mother, who suffered from an enlarged heart, was dead by the time police arrived. Now the Turner family has hired attorney Geoffrey Fieger to file a wrongful death suit against the city.

<snip>

Fieger told Storm, "We believe firmly that (Robert's) mom would have survived had help come within those critical few minutes," and said the lawsuit should help to highlight a tragic flaw in the 911 system. "We also are going to show that this is not an isolated occurrence. This is happening much more often than people think. And if this tape didn't exist, no one would believe Robert."

[msgadget]

1. People were talking about this wherever I went today

To say the dispatchers were unprofessional is too much of an understatement. I can't even imagine what was going through his mind as his beautiful mother died. Should Robert be on TV though? This really needed to be highlighted, of course, but he's barely had time to process death - something hard for adults to deal wth - and lacks the maturity to know how to respond to talking heads saying, "I'm so sorry about your mom." This is tragic, tragic.

[ecstatic]

2. there was heated debate in GD, racism angle discussed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=891830

This case is just so tragic. That poor boy will be scarred the rest of his life.

[bliss_eternal]

4. Was that one of Superman's powers?

The ability to magically know the ethnicity of a foe, when speaking to them on the phone? ;) :shrug:

While I'm still not at all sure what purpose that would serve, it must be a really cool trick to pull out at parties.
:rofl:

[Kerrytravelers]

14. I saw this link earlier. It terrifies me.

And this is the liberal board? :eyes: Scary. :scared:

[ContraBass Black]

16. Holy shit.

I missed that one.

[bliss_eternal]

3. Has anyone managed to get to the bottom

of why this call was ignored? My heart breaks for this kid--he did everything right, and still no one helped his mom.

[undergroundrailroad]

5. This story has stabbed a dagger in my heart. Would this have happened in

tony Grosse Pointe, MI? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But in my heart of hearts I feel the African-American dispatcher was conducting in racial profiling against a member of her own race. Had there not been a tape to prove little Robert's words, no one would have believed him.

I do want to hear the side of the 911 dispatcher. But if story is the same as her words on the tape, in other words, she made a judgment that this call was a prank, then she should be charged with manslaughter. Especially in view of the fact that the mother might have lived if prompt medical help had arrived.

[bliss_eternal]

7. ...really awful to think about

isn't it?

[qanda]

10. I hate to think what you are saying is true

But it probably is. My children called 911 once and I even called back to say that my children were playing on the phone and they still sent an officer over. My children got a really good talking to by the officer and probably needed to call 911 after I got through with them (only kidding)! In the Detroit case it was not the dispatcher's call to make and it was a fatal mistake. Unfortunately, that boy did the right thing and had the misfortune of being judged unfairly by someone in his own race. Very sad story.

[bliss_eternal]

12. I accidentally called 911 one night--

We had a new telephone and hadn't learned all of it's functions. Apparently it came with one button pre-programmed to call 911. I accidentally hit it while trying to hang up the phone one night, in a dark room. Within minutes, police officers were knocking on my door. My husband and I were surprised and had no idea why they were there.

With their help, we figured out what I'd done (unintentionally)--they hit the redial on my phone. They told us a lot of the newer phones had 911 programmed in automatically. They were really nice, patient and understanding. They told us they couldn't allow ANY call to go uninvestigated in the event someone was truly in an emergency and just couldn't speak, etc.

If they came out to us and we didn't even need them--I can't imagine why no one would at least investigate the calls the little boy made. The more I think about it, the sadder it makes me. :(

[Zookeeper]

13. When my kids learned about 911..

they called once or twice to see what would happen, but hung up quickly. The police didn't come, but we did get an immediate call from the police asking if everything was ok.

I have heard the complaint more than once that the police are much slower to respond to calls from poor or high crime neighborhoods.

That dispatcher should be fired, at least, and charged with reckless endangerment or criminal negligence or whatever would give her some time behind bars.

[msgadget]

11. Underground, I thought there were TWO dispatchers

who dismissed young Robert's call for assistance. If there were two and they both treated his call so similarly there's got to a dismissive attitude or unwritten policy in that office.

[MadMaddie]

6. There is no excuse not to send a police unit to the home...

When the call comes in...it is identified by the phone number and the physical address....it's highly probable that the dispatcher saw the address and made the assumption right off the bat that it was a prank....the child spoke to two different operators and was treated the same way...the second operator should have seen the history of the other call that occurred two hours prior....

This may the tip of the iceberg.....this child lost his mother...she could have been saved.....The Golden hour is imperative if someones life is to be saved......

[politicasista]

8. Sometimes we underestimate the intelligence of our children

So sad. :(

[fortyfeetunder]

9. I feel sorry for the little boy and his family

Saw the little guy on TV, he looked as if he were at fault for his mother's death.

I am too upset about seeing that little forlorn face to even comment on this atrocity.

[Swamp Rat]

15. poor child n/t

:cry: