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Boy's 911 Call Ignored as Mom Dies

Discussion in '2006 Archive' started by PastorSBC1303, Apr 8, 2006.

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  1. PastorSBC1303

    PastorSBC1303 Active Member

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    DETROIT (April 7) — 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."

    For remainder of story:

    http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060408114909990004&ncid=NWS00010000000001
     
    #1 PastorSBC1303, Apr 8, 2006
  2. Filmproducer

    Filmproducer Guest

    How sad! I wonder what was behind the operator qualifying this as a prank call? Young children are taught all the time to call 911 in case of emergency. I'm sure there is also a lot of kids calling out of curiosity, or whatever, but what did this boy do to make her think "prank"? I mean he called back twice. I would think she should have sent someone just to be safe, and not THREE hours later.
     
    #2 Filmproducer, Apr 9, 2006
  3. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

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    I heard this on the news on the way back home today. How incredibly sad! It would be better to respond and then deal with any pranksters than to make assumptions like this and be so terribly wrong.
     
    #3 mcdirector, Apr 9, 2006
  4. PastorSBC1303

    PastorSBC1303 Active Member

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    I thought they had to come and check it out no matter what. In our old neighborhood someone accidently dialed 911 and hung up. The operator called the number and they person explained it was by accident, and they were informed that the police still had to come to make sure it was ok. And the police came to verify it.
     
    #4 PastorSBC1303, Apr 9, 2006
  5. PamelaK

    PamelaK New Member

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    PastorSBC, I thought so too. That is what I have heard. For example, in the case you cited, there could have been someone holding a gun to your neighbor who found out they had managed to call 911 and had them say it was a mistake when the operator called back.
     
    #5 PamelaK, Apr 9, 2006
  6. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    Kids do make prank calls to 9-1-1. But I thought they had to be "safe" than "sorry".

    We were at a local park one day, when a 12-year-old girl and her friends called 9-1-1 and said that a fire had broken out at the park's main cottage. Then they hung up.

    Well, the firetrucks and the police came. When they found out it was a prank....that girl and her friends got in BIG trouble!!

    But the emergency team responded nonetheless.
     
    #6 Scarlett O., Apr 9, 2006
  7. D28guy

    D28guy New Member

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    This is an absolutly sickening thing.

    I heard the replay of the tape on the news. That young boy did precisely as his mother trained him to do. He was trying to save his moms life and that clueless operator basically flipped him off.

    Another very sad thing is how that operator must feel right now. My goodness, she'll be living with this for the rest of her life.

    Both she and the family of the mom need prayer.

    Mike
     
    #7 D28guy, Apr 10, 2006
  8. Jannee

    Jannee New Member

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    Ditto to D28guy

    It happened exactly like that, I just heard it today. I can't get it out of my mind, especially when the boy called a second time and let out a big sigh of not again... The boy was loosing faith after being told off again by the same lady. You could feel the boy loosing faith with the lady to help his mom.

    What a wonderful job this five year old did with using his words. He will need alot of prayer
     
    #8 Jannee, Apr 11, 2006
  9. Jannee

    Jannee New Member

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    Forgot to add, I heard them say on the news that 25% of the calls they receive from children are prank calls. This means the majority of calls coming in from children ARE valid.
     
    #9 Jannee, Apr 11, 2006
  10. Enoch

    Enoch New Member

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    This is horrible… [​IMG] Praying for the little boy and his family. The 911 operator is required to call back regardless.
     
    #10 Enoch, Apr 11, 2006
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