From Deseret News archives:
Provo 911 under fire
Death spurs a damage claim, changes in system
Scott Aston's family is seeking $500,000 in damages from the city for the mistake, according to the family. Paramedics never found him, and he lay dead in his apartment for as many as three days.
The city punished two dispatchers and changed dispatch protocols after an investigation handled by an outside police agency, Provo spokeswoman Raylene Ireland said.
Ireland said city officials released information about Aston's death and a subsequent investigation conducted by the Ogden Police Department at a press conference Monday after city and police officials learned the Deseret Morning News had started making inquiries about Aston's death and the city's response to his emergency call for help.
Provo dispatchers now ask more detailed questions, including the name of any apartment building and the caller's phone number, Provo Police Capt. Dave Bolda said.
Cell phone calls now make up more than half of calls to dispatchers, so better technology is needed to identify the caller, Bolda said. The Utah 911 commission is working toward an enhanced 911 program, but it isn't yet in effect in Utah.
New software would show an area or location grid on dispatchers' and police officers' computer screens but not an exact address, according to dispatchers.
It's unclear whether the technology would have saved Aston.
He called 911 on Oct. 1, complaining he was ill and struggling for breath, and asked for an ambulance.
"The caller says he can't breathe, that he's home alone and that he's dying," according to information provided by the city.
The dispatcher thought he heard Aston say his address was 950 N. 500 West. But that address does not exist.
Instead, Aston lived at 915 N. 500 West.
Neither the dispatcher nor the caller seemed aware of the miscommunication, Ireland said. Aston agreed to stay on the line until paramedics arrived but reported his condition was worsening. Then the line went dead.
Dispatchers attempted to call him back but received a message saying Aston's mailbox was full, Ireland said.
Comments
- French, Afghan troops push on 10:47 a.m.
- In quieter Baghdad, bingo is back 10:45 a.m.
- Germans ID convert as terror suspect 10:44 a.m.
- Serb Patriarch Pavle dies 10:25 a.m.
- Palin's way of talkin' dissected 10:24 a.m.
- Sponsor for gay-rights bills found 9:53 a.m.
- Aggies beat Spartans in snowy Logan 4:31 a.m.
- TCU 55, Utah 28 4:24 a.m.
- BYU 24, New Mexico 19 4:21 a.m.
- Jazz game at a glance 3:00 a.m.
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
359 - BYU happy to escape with victory
206 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
200 - TCU creams U.
162 - Will state consider gay rights law?
148 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
130 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
130 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - Celtics crush Jazz
104 - Sloan may toy with starting lineup
87
If you are looking for a bird on the cheap, the following specials from...
How do you handle kids and contests? Our oldest daughter, 7, is of the...
Most Americans are socially moderate and fiscally conservative. This...
For businessmen a free market is when the government stands aside and does...
Our school rocks we can beat anybody u throw at us
"55 points seems like a lot, but TCU is really good" I just have one thing...
Just look at yesterday.
You DID play your best.... and to all the Ute fans... WE ALL knew this...
I am a retired Ph.D. professor of linguistics. Yes, to academics it is a...
Stop being all giddy when you get on game day. If you really want to make a...
are exactly what the Cougar fans have been saying all year long. A good but...
If nobody cares about this story then why did comment on it? Way to prove...

You can be the first to comment on this story.