Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Georgia Woman Dies After 911 Ambulence Went to the Wrong Address

ATLANTA — Authorities say a suburban Atlanta woman died while waiting for an ambulance that a 911 operator sent to the wrong address.

Fulton County 911 director Alfred Moore says Darlene Dukes called 911 on Saturday for help because of difficulty breathing.

The 911 operator misheard the address and sent crews to Wells Street in Atlanta instead of to Dukes' home on Wales Street in suburban Johns Creek. The streets are almost 30 miles apart.

Moore says the operator should have noticed that the call came from a cell tower in north Fulton County, not Atlanta.

The mistake caused a 25-minute delay in response. Her parents said the 39-year-old Dukes died from a pulmonary embolism.

Moore says the 911 operator was fired. The operator's name was not released.

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