A family in Atlanta is suing an area hospital for the wrongful death of their 15-year-old daughter, alleging that it failed to dispatch an ambulance in time to save the teen.
In 2024, 15-year-old Amanda Sylvester collapsed during her volleyball practice. Bystanders called 911 for help. The family’s complaint claims that Grady Memorial Hospital’s EMS responders had no ambulance available at the time of the call and failed to request mutual aid to assist the teen, according to Atlanta News First.
The lawsuit also claims that the dispatchers waited more than 20 minutes to tell the family that no ambulance was available. The family says if they had been told no ambulance was available the girl’s mother would not have waited to drive her to the hospital herself.
The city of College Park, where the incident occurred, said it dispatched fire rescue and EMS personnel to the scene and that its responders stabilized Amanda. It said that its personnel also called for an ambulance, according to TNDD’s reporting at the time.
Bill Crane, the spokesman for Fulton County, told WXIA-TV at the time that Amanda was seen by College Park EMTs “within about eight minutes” of the initial 911 call.
“The young lady, by then, was conscious, evaluated, and assessed,” he said. “Her vitals were all normal; she was making eye contact, her pupils weren’t dilated, and she was conversant.”
Amanda’s mother ultimately drove her to the hospital. The teen died later that night after suffering cardiac failure.
The Independent has requested comment from Grady Memorial Hospital.
Grady EMS defended its response at the time of the incident, telling People in a statement that its response was “based on the limited information the College Park communications center provided.”
“The call was categorized as low acuity, meaning the reported symptoms or conditions did not initially suggest an immediate life-threatening emergency that would require the immediate dispatch of an ambulance,” a spokesperson told TNDD at the time. “However, it is important to note that when the 911 call came in, a College Park Fire Rescue unit, staffed with two Advanced EMTs, was already en route to the scene.”
The hospital said it dispatched an ambulance after it received the second call concerning Amanda.
“After receiving a second 911 call and obtaining additional information about the patient’s medical history and condition, the call was upgraded to high acuity,” it told TNND. “Grady EMS dispatched an ambulance to the scene, where the patient remained and was still being evaluated by College Park Fire Rescue personnel who had arrived.”
Grady EMS said that it ultimately cancelled the ambulance after learning that Amanda had been taken by a family member for medical assistance.
Amanda’s volleyball club, Dream Chasers, called the situation “unacceptable” at the time and raised money for her family’s medical and legal expenses.
“We have precious lives in our hands, and we’re responsible for these precious lives,” Catherine Murray, a member of the Dream Chasers Volleyball Club, told Atlanta News First. “We have to have a better network and system to protect these kids.”
