Dispatcher Had No Submerged Car Protocol

It took Norwalk (Ohio) firefighters just three minutes to arrive at the flooded creek where Lisa Roswell’s car had been swept off the road and was now submerged in swirling water. Roswell had been able to dial 911 for help, and spoke to police dispatcher Tacy Bond as the car slowly sank into the muddy water and the connection was lost. By the time firefighters reached the car, Roswell had drowned. Now a logging tape of the call reveals that Bond was using PowerPhone protocol cards to handle the 6:05 a.m. 911 call from Roswell, but didn’t have one for “submerged vehicle.” As Roswell asked what to do, Bond could only tell her to wait until firefighters arrived to rescue her. Police chief Dave Light says Bond didn’t tell Roswell to get out of the car, fearing she would be swept away by the water. A PowerPhone spokesperson reviewed the logging tape, but said there were too many variables to draw a conclusion on what else the dispatcher might have done. He said the company’s newest computer-based protocols do include floating and submerged vehicle instructions for dispatchers. Read the entire store here, and a transcript of Roswell’s 911 call here. Also read one expert’s advice if you’re ever trapped in a submerged vehicle. (Video after the break)

Update: In a subsequent news story, Chief Light praised Bond’s handling of the call and that she told the victim to stay in the car rather than venture outside into the frigid water, which he says was filled with chunks of snow and ice. “If Tacy had told her to get out of the car, she would have been gone faster than she was,” Light said. “Her best chance of survival was to stay in her car until the last possible second.” Light also said Bond had attended a stress debriefing session and was emotional over Roswell’s death.