Boy's mom dies when 911 thinks he is joking

[Katie]

Did anyone else read this? It's so sad. The pictures on the news of this sweet little kid made my heart break. Shame on that operator!



DETROIT, Michigan (AP) -- A lawyer said he plans a lawsuit over the death of a woman whose young son called 911 to report she had collapsed, only to be told he shouldn't be playing on the phone.

Geoffrey Fieger, best known for defending assisted-suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian, appeared Sunday on NBC's "Today" with the boy, Robert Turner, who turned 6 last month.

Fieger said Sherrill Turner, who had an enlarged heart, would have survived February 20 if help had been sent immediately.

On the show, the boy recounted his talk with the 911 operator.

"She thought I was playing on the phone," Robert said.

By the time authorities arrived, Sherrill Turner, 46, was dead.

"This indicates an endemic problem," Fieger said. "There's a discounting of children. Robert did exactly what he was taught to do."

Detroit police are investigating the 911 response. A spokesman did not immediately return a call Sunday.

After Turner collapsed, Robert placed two calls to 911.

In the first call about 6 p.m., Robert told an operator his mother had passed out, but an operator asked to speak with an adult.

When he called back about three hours later, an operator told him: "You shouldn't be playing on the phone."

Police arrived after the second call.

In a statement Friday, Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said it was important not to rush to judgment and indicated she would have no further comment because of "imminent or impending litigation."

Fieger said he plans to file the wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Detroit on Monday.

[JameO]

I think thats just beyond terrible. NO MATTER how much you think this is a fake, you never really know, and there are many false alarms, but you should take every case seriously, I hope that receptionist feels great about letting the kids mom die. DEATH PENALTY! Not really but, terrible, just terrible!

[Anarky]

Hey, that kid was lucky. Sure, he lost his mom and all that, but at least he got to talk to an operator. Over here, when you call 117 (our 911, which calls only the cops, 144 is the abulance and 118 is the fire brigade) later at night (read: after 10 pm) there's a fifty/fifty chance that no one's going to pick up the phone. In addition to that, we have two patrolcars with one officer in each car roaming an area of about 200 square km. Great fun, eh? And drug dealers like our area a lot.

Anyways, terrible mistake. What else? Oh, yeah... nothing, really. Tragedy yadda yadda blah, stupid operator blah, prayers with kid blablubb.

[Mecha Cow]

That's just terrible. I'm sure the operator did not intend for this to happen, but one in a position like hers should have never made a decision like this. Poor kid.

[Katie]

It did not say this in the article, but on the news I watched at lunch it showed the transcript of the call. Basically, the operator told the kid she didn't care what he said and if he didn't get off the phone he was going to send to police to take him to jail.

the kid was 5...and already scared to death....I can't believe he mustered the courage to call again.

[Anarky]

Originally Posted by Katie

It did not say this in the article, but on the news I watched at lunch it showed the transcript of the call. Basically, the operator told the kid she didn't care what he said and if he didn't get off the phone he was going to send to police to take him to jail.

the kid was 5...and already scared to death....I can't believe he mustered the courage to call again.

Zoom on the kid! We need a faceshot of the pitiful human... NOW! They should give him a puppy, that would add to the "AWWWW"-factor... imagine the ratings!

Aren't crying kids just adorable, they make you forget about every real problem out there. Isn't it great when you suddenly realize that Orwell was right all along?

[Dr. Doom]

-=Hits Anarky with a frying pan=-

Poor kid. =(

[Mars-Chan]

Ugh...people in societies today.


If *I* was in the house with that little one, I would've most certainly told the lady that this poor child was not playing, that it was an actual emergency, that they needed help, like, now!



Did someone say PUPPY!?


*resists urge to scratch puppy* *waits for the squees* XD

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Anarky

Zoom on the kid! We need a faceshot of the pitiful human... NOW! They should give him a puppy, that would add to the "AWWWW"-factor... imagine the ratings!

Aren't crying kids just adorable, they make you forget about every real problem out there. Isn't it great when you suddenly realize that Orwell was right all along?

What the hell is your problem? No matter what the situation is you've got some kind of retarded remark to make about it. I hope some messed up sh*t happens to you, then we can all sit back and make jokes about it.

[Brodie]

Wow, way to be an insensitive asshole, Anarky.

I'm pretty sure this thread'll be locked, he'll go off scott free to talk about how bad his area is, and I'll get in trouble for calling him out on it.

Awesome.

[Katie]

come on now, everyone's entitled to his/her own opinions. As awful as i think this story is I am sure there are others who see other things.

Update: They are suing for $1 million

[Anarky]

Originally Posted by Katie

Update: They are suing for $1 million

Hey, one million! That will make the boy happy! Sure, he's got no mommy anymore, but he's getting some pocket money.

What is my problem? Sure, big tragedy blahblah. But thing is, it's a one in a million chance that something like this happens. And those tearjerking stories are just there to distract you from the real problems out there. I mean, the odds that something like this happens are slim to none. Why make such a big fuzz about it? Oh, yeah, that's right. That way the media doesn't need to talk about the millions of working poor or the people who have to live on their floors to avoid getting shot while watching TV (if they have one) or while they're sleeping. But hey, let's all shead a tear for the kid, why not? But what about the people in New New Orleans? Or the ones fighting for... something in Iraq (and no, we're not getting into that)? Awww, look at that sad little face, wouldn't you want to cuddle him, just to make him forget about it for maybe half a second?

The thing is, the media keeps on brainwashing us. I said it before and I'll most likely say it again and again. We are manipulated and stuff like the sad case of this little kid are just there to distract us, to keep us from thinking. That, my friends, is disinformation in its purest form. We can't escape it, it's everywhere and even I am affected sometimes. Sure, it's easier to yell at the people who tell you that this is useless news instead of trying to see a different perspective. This, fellow dromers, is 1984.

A friend of mine last week said that information is no longer a thing to keep us updated, but it's something like trading goods. They have to be scandalous, make people feel for them and, most importantly, make us keep watching and worrying and being all emotional about it. We are constantly manipulated, brainwashed and dumbed down. And we all fall for it, no matter how hard we try.

Originally Posted by Katie

come on now, everyone's entitled to his/her own opinions.

True. But there are good opinions and bad opinions.
If all opinions were accepted that means a guy can go and kill an innocent in cold blood and not receive the consequences for it because based on his opinion, what he did was a good thing.

Update: They are suing for $1 million

Damn ****ing straight. The opperator ought to be jailed for her attitude which resulted an avoidable death.



EDIT: I get what you mean, Anarky, but you shouldn't ridicule one misfortunate event just because several other misfortunate events never surface into the public's awareness.

[Peanut]

So...basically what you're saying is, we should all be cold hearted bastards, right? Is that what you're trying to say? We shouldn't care about this poor kid losing his mother, because you're living in a sh*tty neighbourhood and everyone should be feeling sorry for you instead? Is it because someone cares about this kid and you're jealous no one gives a sh*t about you? Mommy and daddy didn't love you enough?

Sometimes I think you just spew this sh*t to get attention. Of course, if you didn't, no one would pay attention to you, so I can see where you're coming from.

[Katie]

Interesting and valid points......but per Da Rules we can't discuss alot of the heavier issues because they inevitably lead back to religion and politics and all that stuff that causes us to go at each other's throats. *shrugs* I like talking about important issues...They need to be talked about, but until we can do it civily, without alot of bad feelings, we have to be content with discussing current events that are about sad kids and celebrities' newborns.

Originally Posted by Katie

They need to be talked about, but until we can do it civily, without alot of bad feelings, we have to be content with discussing current events that are about sad kids and celebrities' newborns.

I say **** celebritie's newborns.

[Hannah]

This place sucks.

[Sewer Bull]

Originally Posted by Katie

Interesting and valid points......but per Da Rules we can't discuss alot of the heavier issues because they inevitably lead back to religion and politics and all that stuff that causes us to go at each other's throats.

Maybe we should try talking about something more mature... at least for once. Maybe we won't end up killing each other.

Originally Posted by Katie

*shrugs* I like talking about important issues...They need to be talked about, but until we can do it civily, without alot of bad feelings, we have to be content with discussing current events that are about sad kids and celebrities' newborns.

And celebrities' deaths.

[iris]

Originally Posted by Anarky

Aren't crying kids just adorable, they make you forget about every real problem out there. Isn't it great when you suddenly realize that Orwell was right all along?

Orwell was right. So, basically, this news item is Orwellian propaganda designed to divert the attention of the People from the real problems of State? Or perhaps designed to indocrinate the People with the idea that they must trust the State or face the consequences? I don't understand. Ungood, dude.

ETA: OK, some of that explained above. But someone's organizing this massive dumbing down of the populace?

[Anarky]

Originally Posted by Peanut

So...basically what you're saying is, we should all be cold hearted bastards, right? Is that what you're trying to say?

Nah, don't be silly...

We shouldn't care about this poor kid losing his mother, because you're living in a sh*tty neighbourhood and everyone should be feeling sorry for you instead?

Me? ****** neighbourhood? Nah, not anymore, I used to live in a quite crappy place a while back (granted, it was a squat, but it was fun)

Is it because someone cares about this kid and you're jealous no one gives a sh*t about you? Mommy and daddy didn't love you enough?

Please don't bring my family into this. Besides, my biography has nothing to do with what I'm trying to say here.

My point is, that you could, in the time they tell you about the poor kid, ask you "And we ask you, the viewers, could these little eyes lie?" and make a huge bloody fuzz about it, they could tell you about really important stuff, politics and political key figures. You wouldn't even begin to feel sorry for the kid if you never heard about him and if you they knew that you wouldn't care, they wouldn't even broadcast it. They wouldn't even think about broadcasting it, never. It's not about the boy, or 911, or evil operators, it's about ratings. That boy's tragic case is getting bastardized by the media and you all fell for it. That's why I brought up the puppy, nothing's sweeter than a sad kid, cuddling a cute puppy.

Do you honestly think Fox News and Yahoo and all the bastards are interested in the kid?

Sometimes I think you just spew this sh*t to get attention. Of course, if you didn't, no one would pay attention to you, so I can see where you're coming from.

You should think differently.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by iris

this news item is Orwellian propaganda designed to divert the attention of the People from the real problems of State?

It could be designed, we don't really know what is manufactured and what isn't. I'll just assume that this is true, because stupid stuff like that happens every now and then. But what I'm saying is, that news like these get blown out of proportion to satisfy everyone's thirst for information without acutally telling them something.

But yes, it is a diversion. It's disinformation at its finest.