Sheriff: Human Error Caused Deadly Delay

An investigation by the Darke County (Ohio) sheriff has concluded that a dispatcher selected the wrong jurisdiction from a drop-down menu in the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, and then dispatched EMS units to the wrong location for a report of a 9 year-old who wasn’t breathing. Eight minutes passed until the error was noticed, and by the time medics arrived at the correct location, the youth was dead. Sheriff Toby Spencer said 15-year veteran dispatcher Christina Lennon confirmed the address with the caller but not the jurisdiction. In this case, the incident was at 120 E. Cross St. in Palestine, but Lennon selected the town of Ansonia, which has an identical address. Spencer also noted that the E911 and CAD systems are separate, so the caller’s ANI/ALI information was not automatically transferred to CAD. He said Lennon was suspended for three days without pay and ordered to undergo re-training. Another seven days of suspension were withheld on the condition she not have any other violations within the next six months. The sheriff’s office and Lennon has personally apologized to the family, Spencer said. The county coroner cannot say if the delay contributed to the boy’s death. Read more about the incident here.