Posted on 10/22/2008 2:47:55 PM PDT by Palin4President
When 16-year-old Antoine Marc Williams collapsed last week in a classroom at Benjamin E. Mays High School, Atlanta fire department paramedics were immediately dispatched to help him.
But for reasons which authorities have not explained, an Atlanta 911 operator canceled one of two emergency responses seven minutes later.
A two-member private ambulance crew dispatched by Grady Memorial Hospital about the same time did arrive in nine minutes, and began trying to save the student’s life. It took 35 minutes for Atlanta fire department paramedics — dispatched, stopped and dispatched again — to reach the school.
Williams, a junior, died hours later.
Williams was laid to rest Tuesday as Atlanta law enforcement officials investigated why a 911 operator canceled the original call to Atlanta paramedics on Oct. 14.
“It’s just really sad,” said Armon Barnett Jr., 16, who described himself as one of Williams’ closest friends, after leaving a funeral service Tuesday filled with several dozen teary-eyed classmates comforting each other. “He was real popular, but I don’t think he knew it.”
The Atlanta 911 confusion and possible error comes after an operator for another emergency-response system, Fulton County 911, was fired this summer for sending paramedics to the wrong address to treat a Johns Creek woman who was gasping for breath. Darlene Dukes, 39, the mother of two boys, died from a blood clot in her lung. The operator who took and allegedly bungled her call, Gina Conteh, is appealing the county’s decision.
Atlanta Police would not answer questions Tuesday about Williams’ case.
Sgt. Lisa Keyes, a department spokeswoman, said the department will discuss the case once its investigation is completed. She did not give a timetable on the investigation.
Capt. Bill May, spokesman for the Atlanta Fire Department said he does not know why the call was canceled. May said 911 operators occasionally cancel calls for service if another ambulance is on the way to a scene, if the call is a false alarm or if a family member agrees to take the patient to a hospital.
Williams’ family could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Denise Simpson, a spokeswoman for Grady Memorial Hospital — which sent the private ambulance crew to the school — said Tuesday she was unaware whether Williams had any pre-existing medical conditions that could have led to his death. Simpson also said she did not know if an autopsy had been done.
Barnett said he and Williams were inside their American Literature classroom on the second floor when their teacher briefly left the room and Williams and a classmate began play-wrestling. Williams fell and began rubbing his left shoulder, Barnett recalled.
“My heart,” Williams yelled, according to Barnett.
Barnett said Williams then fell backward and began shaking. Barnett said he ran to get his friend help. A teacher called 911, Grady officials said.
Grady Memorial Hospital officials said they received a call for a student possibly having a seizure at the school, located in southwest Atlanta, at about the same time as a call to Atlanta fire rescue officials. The hospital sent a crew from Care Ambulance, which has a contract with Grady, to the school since the paramedics were just two miles away, said hospital spokeswoman Denise Simpson.
She said the Care ambulance arrived nine minutes later. At the same time, May said, an Atlanta 911 operator canceled its call.
Williams went into cardiac arrest once he was carried into the ambulance, Simpson said.
One Grady official said Atlanta paramedics would have been helpful as the two-person crew from Care treated Williams but he did not say if that would have made a difference in saving Williams’ life. Extra paramedics are useful in helping patients who are suffering cardiac arrest to breathe, administer medicine or to insert a breathing tube, said James Bothwell, Grady’s executive director of emergency medical services and trauma.
“In some cases, a team approach is essential,” said Bothwell.
Classmates described Williams as a smart, kind, witty student who was considering a career in international business. Friends said he was serious about his schoolwork and was said to be near the top of his class.
Barnett recalled Williams being upset with him when Barnett forgot a USB drive for a class project.
“He was going to be somebody’s boss,” said fellow junior, LaMarcus Marria, 16, who said he was one of Williams’ closest friends. “He was a good guy to be around. He had a good vibe.”
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Prayers for the family.
"the individual involved has been disciplined by the department, and a notation to this effect has been placed in his or her file. At this point it is a personnel matter, and for that reason the department will have no further comment."
There is very little in this article to give even a hint as to exactly what happened here. If the patient was having a seizure when they made the initial call for help then he was more than likely already in cardiac arrest. The article says he went into arrest after being put in the ambulance. The whole article seems like a collection of the story as viewed from several sources.
These things are always complicated and it’s going to be a while before things shake out and we know what really happened.
Paramedics would have made a big difference. Usually, private ambulance companies don’t have paramedics, just EMTs who can’t administer many lifesaving drugs.
What is the normal dispatch protocol in Atlanta? Where I live, two ambulances are always dispatched for heart-related calls, a basic life support ambulance with EMTs and an advance life support unit with paramedics. Usually, the BLS ambulance will arrive first, followed by the ALS unit.
If the situation is life-threatening, the paramedics will transport the patient while in voice and data contact with doctors at the trauma center. Private ambulance companies don’t have direct contact with doctors and have very limited treatment options.
If not, then (I hate to say it) I would have to say that the family is looking for a big payoff in their almost certainly upcoming lawsuit.
FMCDH(BITS)
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