Heart Attack Victim Dies After 911 Mix-Up

M E M P H I S, Tenn., Feb. 5 -- Last year, 63-year-old Jim Wagner lay dying on the floor of a pool club in Memphis, Tenn., as patrons made one desperate 911 call after another.

But emergency crews took 30 minutes to respond, wasting precious minutes bickering over whose jurisdiction the club was in and dispatchers repeatedly sent ambulances to the wrong places.

Wagner was cheerful and well-liked, and loved playing pool every Wednesday night with his buddies at a Memphis pool hall. But on a hot night, July 9, 2003, Wagner suddenly collapsed of a heart attack while competing in a billiards tournament.First, a female bartender called 911, pleading for help.

"A man has passed out in the club behind a pool table, and he's had a heart attack before," she said.

"What is the address of your emergency?" the fire department dispatcher asked.

"Yes, it's 2686 Kirby-Whitten Road, just south of Summer Avenue, The Billiard Club," the bartender replied.

"Okay, what's the problem?" the dispatcher asked.

"I've got a person that's had a seizure or heart attack, passed out totally, having convulsions," the bartender said.

"We're on the way," the fire department dispatcher said.

Help Expected Quickly

At that point, those trying to help Wagner expected an ambulance to arrive within minutes. But as recordings from the 911 tapes from that night reveal, the dispatcher sent the ambulance to the wrong address, a location 12 miles from where Wagner lay dying. The 911 personnel attempted to make sense of their mistake.

"We're trying to get a good address on Kirby Road," one male voice said. "Truck 20 saying that don't find a 2686 Kirby, and uhhh, do you have a call back number?"

"Hey Sandra, has unit 14 found anything yet?" a female voice said.

"Can someone give me the white pages?" another asked.

Victoria McCutchen was the second person at the billiards club to call 911, and again, the emergency workers could not find the location.