Family Sues RCMP Over 911 Call

The family of a woman who died along a rural Saskatchewan (Canada) road in 2010 has filed a lawsuit against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), saying a dispatcher mishandled a 911 call asking for help. Kerry Canepotatoe, 19, was in a car that ran off the isolated road and got stuck in April 2010. Her cousin dialed 911 and spoke to an RCMP dispatcher, asking for a tow truck. But when no one arrived after several hours, Canepotatoe set out to find help. Her body was found four days later—she had died of exposure. The cousin and two children were found in the car three days after that, severely dehydrated and malnourished. The family says the dispatcher did request a tow truck, but should have followed up on the call. The tow truck driver couldn’t locate the vehicle and took no other action. The family is also suing the provincial highway ministry over the lack of signs along the rural road. Read more about the incident here, and listen to various 911 calls here. Update: In Dec. 2011 the family and RCMP settled the lawsuit.