Called 911 Twice, Ambulance Never Arrived: The widow of a man who had trouble breathing at home that led her to call 911 for an ambulance that never arrived has filed a lawsuit against Wayne County, Georgia and several of its employees for the value of the 49-year-old man’s life, his lost wages, his physical and mental pain, and the noneconomic injuries suffered by her and their daughter. The original lawsuit was filed in state court on January 12, 2023 but was then removed to federal court by the defendants.
During the evening of April 14, 2021, the husband, Max, was discharged from the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He was instructed to return to the hospital immediately if he had any problems breathing. That is why Max’s wife, Madelene, called 911 for an ambulance at 10:19 p.m. that same evening, and then again at 10:37 p.m., when an ambulance failed to arrive. The transcript of the 911 calls were reported as follows:
First Call To 911
Dispatch: “Wayne County 911.″
Madelene: “Yes ma’am, there’s supposed to be an ambulance coming to. Can you tell me when they’re going to be getting here?”
Dispatch: “I don’t have an ETA on them or anything like that, but they are on the way.”
Second Call To 911
Smith: “His oxygen is in the 70s. Would we be quicker driving?”
Dispatch: “Well they’re on the way, so they should be there any time.”
Despite the 911 operator’s assurances that an ambulance was on the way, the ambulance log reportedly shows that an ambulance was dispatched two minutes after the first call but was not on its way even after the second call. The fire department arrived at 10:44 p.m. and advised the wife that an ambulance was not on its way to their home.
Madelene put Max in their car and drove themselves to the hospital that was ten minutes from their home.
Max was induced into a coma after he went into cardiac arrest. He never woke up from the coma and was removed from life support five days later.
Wayne County Administrator Ed Jeffords is a defendant named in the lawsuit. He resigned on January 10, 2023 and the Wayne County Commission terminated his contract effective immediately during the Commission’s January 11, 2023 meeting. Jeffords has stated that his resignation had nothing to do with the lawsuit.
The National Fire Protection Association, a non-profit that oversees fire and EMS response times, sets the standard for EMS to be on scene in eight minutes.
If you or a family member were injured due to the medical negligence of 911 or an ambulance service in Georgia or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Georgia medical malpractice lawyer. or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your possible 911 negligence claim for you, and represent you or your family member in a 911 negligence case, if appropriate.
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