The latest bizarre case comes from a young boy, age six, who called 911 to report that his mother was having serious health problems and had collapsed. Rather than taking him seriously, the 911 operator thought that the kid, Robert, "was playing on the phone." (Italics mine.) So of course the worst possible thing, the poor kid's mom's death, was the result. Now there's a lawsuit being brought against Detroit for wrongful death. The attorney representing Robert notes that "Robert did exactly what he was taught to do."
Even given the age of the kid, it seems awfully careless tha the operator chose not to give him the benefit of the doubt. I know I'd prefer to answer a prank once in awhile (are 6-year-olds even capable of that, criminally?) as if it were serious than to let someone die. I know I don't want operators like that working in Portland. By the way, if you want it, the full story is here.
"What the Hetts?!"
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Definitely a terrible outcome for the child and the mother. Not exactly great publicity for the city, either. I'm guessing there'll be some focused training, if not changes in protocol, to specifically address situations like this one.
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