Detroit Boy's Mother Dies Due to 911 Operator Negligence
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger is back in the news again as he is heading up a lawsuit against the city of Detroit, Michigan on behalf of a now 6 year old boy and his family in the wrongful death of his mother back on February 20, 2006. The boy, Robert Turner, was only 5 years old back in February when he made a call to 911 to report that his mother had collapsed. Instead of helping her by sending paramedics, the operator lectured the boy for playing on the phone. As stated in the article on CNN,
He quoted a dispatcher as telling him, "Stop playing on the phone." The child called back three hours later, but it was hours after that before anyone came to his home, said Fieger.No doubt this is a ridiculous scenario and it should have never taken place. Children are people too and whether they are playing or have a serious emergency we need to respect them and at least send the police to investigate. I remember when I was younger - way back when - and there was a kid at my summer camp that prank called 911 from a park. Police were sent, his parents were called, he was reprimanded, and his family was charged a $50 fine. If this happened for poor Robert Turner, perhaps his mother would still be alive. If it were a prank, he would have been in trouble.
As reported by WoodTV in this report, due to the time the operators have served with the city of Detroit there will be disciplinary action taken, but no one will be fired. A woman lost her life, a boy and his sister lost their mother and a family lost a member yet all that happens is a disciplinary mark against the operators who took the calls from this boy. WTF?! Isn't this more like murder? It is a scary thought that people like these two women have people lives literally in their hands via a phone. Fieger is going for a million dollars, of which I am sure he will see plenty hiimself, but I ask, "is this enough"?
I am interested to hear your thoughts on this whole story.
You can check out these links as well for more information:
SanFan message board
CNN.com
Detroit Free Press