911-call case gets settled

PROVO — Last weekend, a man in diabetic shock used a cell phone to call 911 from his home, but he couldn't manage to give his exact address to a dispatcher and eventually the call was lost.

Provo's dispatch center can't trace cell phone calls, but under a new policy inspired by the death of Scott Aston last fall, the dispatchers informed a fire department battalion chief who orchestrated a search that found the man.

Aston's family said that successful rescue pleased them more than the $220,000 settlement announced Friday by city officials and attorneys for the family. Scott Aston died Oct. 1 after his cell phone call to 911 was mishandled by a Provo dispatcher and he couldn't be found.

"The money is not what brings peace," said Carol Davis, Aston's sister. "I think the changes that needed to be made are being made. I think that will save lives. It really makes me happy they were able to save somebody because of what happened with Scott. In fact, I'd be surprised if anything of this nature ever happened again.

"That brings a lot of peace. That's what this is about," she said.

The settlement was reached late Thursday at the conclusion of a mediation session that lasted more than 11 hours.

The city again acknowledged mistakes made by dispatchers who handled the Aston call and agreed to release internal reports about Aston's death. The reports will be provided to media outlets on Monday.

"There was a dispatcher who did not follow procedures, and as a result a mistake occurred," Mayor Lewis Billings said. "I think the mediation resolution is a very, very good outcome for all parties. We were approaching a moment where it looked like we might be in for a long, protracted legal battle. Now there is an opportunity for healing and closure."

Billings revealed that the city has asked an international dispatch organization to study Provo's practices. A panel of five experts visited the city in June and their report is due within 90 days from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.

"We anticipate we're going to get more good, constructive recommendations," Billings said. "They will be another helpful part of making a very effective dispatch center even more effective."

Provo initially offered the family between $100,000 and $125,000, based on deferred payments. The money was to be split between Aston's parents and his widow, Josefina.