COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — 911 calls uncovered why an ambulance never showed up to help a teenager who collapsed during volleyball practice.
Amanda Sylvester, 15, died December 5 after her mother drove her to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta herself.
The teen was practicing with her team, Dream Chasers, at Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center on Godby Road at 6 p.m. Dec. 5.
During the warmup period of practice, Sylvester collapsed. The first 911 call came in at 6:09 p.m., according to the dispatch report.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
At that time, a caller told the dispatcher that a player passed out.
“She said something about, she doesn’t have her EpiPen or something,” said the caller.
College Park Fire Rescue arrived within minutes and stabilized her while the crowd waited for Grady Hospital’s EMS to send an ambulance to take her to the hospital.
A second 911 call uncovered a problem.
The dispatcher tells the caller Grady EMS has zero ambulances available to send. That night, Grady EMS said it had 42 ambulances running around Fulton County. That number is above standard, according to Grady EMS.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Judge makes ruling on Young Thug’s probation terms to visit Atlanta more
- 8 indicted after massive marijuana operation ‘hidden in plain sight’ in south GA
- Metro families say their Christmas gifts are stuck at Cobb County FedEx facility
Dispatch recordings indicate 911 dispatchers checked back in with rescuers 12 times.
After waiting 45 minutes, firefighters used an office chair to wheel the teenager to her mom’s SUV. Her mother took her to the hospital herself.
She died there. She was 15.
Her obituary said she was the youngest of four children and a straight A student at Southwest Dekalb High School.
Grady said College Park’s Fire Rescue truck was equipped to transport her. However, a spokesperson for the city of College Park said its fire rescue department is not licensed for transport and the EMTs are not licensed paramedics. Grady EMS is the municipality’s exclusive, licensed medical transport provider.
Channel 2 Action News is waiting for a response to that from the rescue team.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2024 Cox Media Group
