Posted on 08/30/2019 11:58:28 AM PDT by Cecily
Horrific 911 audio has revealed a dispatcher lecturing a distraught woman who feared for her life about driving into flood waters and putting herself in danger before telling her to 'shut up' in the moments before she drowned.
Debra Stevens, 47, had been delivering newspapers in the early hours of August 24 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, when she accidentally drove into rising flood waters that swept her SUV off the road.
Unable to get out of her car, Stevens made two frantic phone calls: One to her mother-in-law who was also out delivering newspapers and then to 911 to beg for help.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Two guesses on the identity of the 911 operator.
She is named and pictured in the story.
The Dispacther had what we called in the Navy, a ‘Short-Timers’ Attitude. She was running out the clock on this employment,and very likely leaving on bad terms, so her annoyance level was way up, while her professional guard was way down.
From reading the article, it sounds like two women talking past each other.
Living nightmare.
There was a creek near my old house that always flooded the bridge. Some guy drove his car into it and got stuck. Police came out and stood and watched. I grabbed my big boat line tied it to a tree and around me and 2 life jackets in the shed and started to wade out to him and get him back to safety the cop had a hussy fit and threatened to arrest me. I told him I wasn’t gonna just watch him drown. Got him back safely.
“Police came out and stood and watched.”
I dont even want to think what happens when a real crime happens in your area.
Every private business I’ve been at typically restricts access to people who have submitted their resignations. Some walk them out the door and pay them for the x weeks notice. It all depends on the role they are in.
Given the criticality of this role I can’t understand why she was kept on the job instead of given administrative work to do.
If water is steadily rising in your car, shouldn’t advice be - get out a window and stand atop the car?
They were waiting for the water rescue team. When they showed up the car was floating down stream hung up on a tree. Cop almost arrested me for disobeying a police order but his Sergeant took him aside and then came over and lectured me on how risky it was but thanked me.
Points for hereafter brave human you.
Not a very helpful response from the 911 dispatcher, although it’s not clear that her callousness actually contributed to this woman’s death.
I don’t understand, if she just drove into the water, why she couldn’t get out? Could’t lower the window and go out that way? People need to know how to break out the window if they need to.
What did this dispatcher do wrong?
She engaged emergency services right away.
Here in MD such a story would hardly be news... For the past 30-years the 911 lines (in suburban areas) have been staffed by such morons... Both times that I had occasion to dial 911, the operator hung up on me...
Power windows, very likely, and electrical out. Then need something to break window. Victim is likely a nice person, but not the type who plans for such things. Then person not in top physical shape has to get out window quickly with water likely pushing in, AND keep their wits about them. 007 most people are not.
I don’t know what the % is of people who, unaided, don’t survive their vehicle going into water deep enough to submerge the vehicle, but, I’ll bet it is distressingly high.
I have not heard that term in years. We had that in the Army also. Short timers were absolutely worthless. We stayed away from them in deployment if the C.O. didn't keep them back in the rear.
> What did this dispatcher do wrong? <
It’s a part - and a big part - of a dispatcher’s job to keep the person in distress calm. That certainly didn’t happen here.
Haranguing a dying person is not polite.
> Not a very helpful response from the 911 dispatcher, although it’s not clear that her callousness actually contributed to this woman’s death. <
She’s not legally responsible. But she sure as heck has some moral responsibility. Please see my post #18.
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