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5-Month-Old Baby Dies After 911 Calls in Cleveland County, North Carolina

Would 5-month-old Allyson Ray Smith be alive today if only someone had responded to all of the six 911 calls made by her family on Friday morning when she stopped breathing? That?s what her family is saying. Now, Cleveland County, North Carolina officials are trying to determine what happened.

The little girl is said to have stopped breathing in her sleep on June 4. At around 4 am, her father began administering CPR and her grandparents, who lived next door, called 911. Smith?s mother, Bonnie Edmondson says that she called the emergency number for help six times but no one would pick up.

While a cell phone tower in Cleveland County did pick up four of the calls, the county?s emergency communication director David Dodd says the 911 dispatcher?s phones never rang, which is why no one answered. He says that this the first time in the more than 30 decades that he has worked for the communication?s office that such a problem has ever happened.

Two of the family?s 911 calls were sent to dispatchers in Rutherford County, located 18 miles away. They notified Cleveland County and 24 hours after the family?s first 911 call, paramedics finally arrived at the family?s home but by then Allyson was dead.

Her cause of death has yet to be determined, although the corner has said that Allyson may have died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Autopsy results are still pending. However, Allyson?s family says that if paramedics had arrived sooner, she might still be alive today.

AT & T provide?s Cleveland County?s 911 phone network.

North Carolina Wrongful Death
There may be more than one party who should be held liable for a loved one's Cleveland County wrongful death. Who you can sue will depend on the specifics of your case. A good way to ensure that you pursue all avenues of recovery is to explore your legal options by talking to a North Carolina wrongful death law firm. Negligent parties do not have to directly have caused a death to be considered financially liable for your loved one?s accidental passing.

Family says baby died after 911 calls went unanswered, WCNC, June 8, 2010

911 calls went unanswered in Cleveland Co. baby?s death, Charlotte Observer, June 9, 2010

Related Web Resources:
American SIDS Institute

Wrongful Death Claims, Nolo

Full post as published by North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog on June 10, 2010 (boomark / email).