Tuesday, January 18, 2011

DARKE COUNTY SHERIFF INVESTIGATES DISPATCH ERROR

On January 14, 2011 at approximately 9:41 AM the Darke County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from 120 East Cross Street in the Village of Palestine, Ohio. The Darke County Dispatcher sent Ansonia Rescue, Fire and Police to 120 West and East Cross Street in Ansonia. The caller was provided CPR instructions while emergency units responded. At approximately 8 minutes into the call the dispatcher realized the caller was at 120 E. Cross Street in Palestine rather than the Village of Ansonia. Darke County Dispatchers immediately dispatched the correct emergency responders to the call upon realizing the error. Tri-Village Rescue, Liberty Township Fire Department and Darke County Deputies responded to the scene. Tri-Village Rescue transported the 9 year old child to Wayne Health Care Emergency Room where she was later pronounced dead.

The Darke County Coroner was notified and is investigating the child’s death along with Darke County Detectives. The investigation of a child’s death is standard procedure and required by law regardless of the circumstances.

Sheriff Toby L. Spencer has initiated an internal investigation into the error that occurred in the dispatching of this call. Once the investigation is complete whatever appropriate actions that is necessary will be taken.

UPDATE: Sheriff Toby Spencer on WHIOtv.com:

21 comments:

  1. That's a shame, and I feel bad for the family and for the dispatcher. All humans make mistakes...some with worse consequences than others. Let's hope the family can forgive the dispatcher for being human, and that the dispatcher can go on as well.

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  2. Well said 11:22. It is refreshing to hear someone think of how trajedies like this have
    more than one side of to the story. Since we do not know how the dispatch system works, I hope people will not assume that this person is incompetent to do their job. I also hope the family is forgiving and the dispatcher and family both have amazing suport systems.

    "to err is human, to forgive, divine" Alexander Pope

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  3. A sad situation all around and my sympathy is extended to everyone involved. To help bring peace, I'm hoping the Coroner's investigation reveals that the delay was irrelevant to the outcome. Despite what you see on TV, cardiac arrest is more often not a survivable event.

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  4. My sister in law died of an epileptic seizure. This sounds so much like her case and there are times even a resue doesn't help. But, my heart goes out to the grieving family and the dispatcher. They all need our compassion and prayers. Let's just hope the news media doesn't make another big story out of this. I'm so tired of story telling. Just give the news and stop this he's guilty, she's guilty stuff. I think the Arizonia situation has turned us all off. People are hurting and that is what we need to focus on. I'm sure the rescue wasn't sent to the wrong place on purpose. Let the authorities find out the mistake and try not let it happen again. It is so easy to find fault in others and over look it in yourself isn't it. I just want to see news reported and not sensationalized no matter where it happens. That's real reporting. (I'm not referring to the Dark Journal. You guys are good and do the best reporting in this area.)

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  5. Although an unfortunate occasion, it is refreshing to see such a lovely outpouring of compassion for all involved.

    My heart goes out not only to the family who is grieving the loss of their child, but also the dispatcher who worked this call.

    Our society is too quick in this day and age to assail such a situation with negativity and rhetoric.

    Let us all be reminded of the fragility of life.

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  6. I heard the tape on t.v., and you can hear the agony in the voice of dispatcher when she realized she went to the wrong community. Like 11:22 said, this was truly a human mistake.
    Peace to the family, and forgivness to the dispatcher.

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  7. who was the dispatcher?

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  8. I'm sure the dispatcher name will come out. Also, they are going to have the call records. If the dispatcher was told PALESTINE, we'll know.......

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  9. ann 11:07 Does it matter? No of course not, I am sure that they feel terrible about these tragic events. After watching the video it seems Toby is also very troubled. praying for all involved.

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  10. beth 9:34
    Yes it does matter who the dispatcher is...they are public employees and the public has the right to know. Personally, I don't want to deal with that person!

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  11. 8:46 has possibly made the most in-sensitive comment here so far. Yes, the public has "the right" to know, but why should we really care who it was? Like so many here have pointed out, it appears to be an honest mistake that anyone could have made at any time. Why add to the pain of the dispatcher by plastering the name all over the place?

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  12. I agree with the comment above. No intention of posting the name here.

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  13. If you are so concerned with names why are you writing anonymously? Give us your name and all your personal info. I would like to check with your employer and see if you have ever made a mistake. Just because dispatchers are public employees doesn't mean they have any less right to privacy than you do.

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  14. My name is Joan Mathers, born on 5/3/58 in Franklin, TN. I have worked in the technology field for 30+ years, and my employer will tell you that I HAVE made mistakes-one of which cost the company some money and took me a long time to get over personally. Now you know, Echo. Wow, really makes a difference, huh?
    The point here is - NONE OF US NEED TO KNOW WHO THAT DISPATCHER WAS. Period.

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  15. Joan-That was exactly my point.

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  16. Echo - you're a dope.

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  17. The dispatchers name was Betty Jane Buttoutski...Mind your own business!

    "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." -Matthew 7:5

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  18. I'm not a dope EK. I'm a dispatcher. I just don't think that someone making a mistake entitles everyone in the county to know everything about that person. My point was that everyone makes mistakes and unless you do the job, you can't expect to understand what goes on in there. You can't possibly know what it's like to pick up a phone and hear a mother say that her 9yo isn't breathing. You can't possibly know what goes through your head and heart as you're trying to get emergency personnel there as fast as possible and give this emotional mother CPR instructions. You can't understand that every time you get a serious call you agonize over it for weeks later, wondering if you could possibly have done anything different. And when you do make a mistake. . . you can't possibly understand the emotions a dispatcher goes through.

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  19. well, I will try to see if this post will show...here goes....First of all, my prayers go out to the family and also the dispatcher who made a human mistake. No, nobody needs to know who it was. It was a human error that I am sure she is beating herself over everyday.
    We lived 5 miles from Union City and 5 from Greenville. My husband was having a heart attack and we called 911. As his young sons and I and sons friends there watched him struggle for TWENTY FIVE MINUTES while on the phone to 911, I began CPR and kept hearing the person talking to them say "ITS BEEN 15 MINUTES! HES DYING!"> Then...ITS BEEN 20 MINUTES!!!! then its been TWENTY FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!!! once they got there after doing CPR on my husband FOR that 25 min. as his 2 sons were watching on, they came and found a "light pulse" and worked on him a few minutes. We lost him. I cannot think of ONE good reason it took rescue to get to my home 5 miles away 25 minutes! WHILE we watched my husband and childrens father DIE. In no way do I think was this a dispatch problem. I want to make that clear. so, I ask myself everyday...where were they? Had they got there early would he still be here with us? So many questions from his sons as to why. I cannot answer them.

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  20. Once again...NO APPROVAL! NO SHOW on my comment. You guys suck.....darke jouranl is a joke. My post was about the subject at hand and not against any rules. Is this a LIBERAL site?????? Or just has a moderator who doesn't like what I have to say. They are stiffleing my FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Have since I was receiveing their news letter and TRYING to comment.What a joke of a site! I will put THIS one in the newspaper along with the way you have stoppped my freedom to speak! I follow the rules! And they STILL wont post. Tried to get answers about this before. If you don't want my comments, let me know. I won't waste my time. Alot of comments here. The moderator must be working???? What a JOKE!

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  21. yes, I am just SURE it will be visible AFTER APPROVAL...right!

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