May 2nd, 2008, 10:33 PM
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Albe...49036-sun.html
CALGARY -- Paramedics were sent to the former Toronto-area home of a Calgary family as their baby son was dying, said an Internet phone firm the boy's parents had contacted during the emergency.
Comwave officials said after they received a call at their centre in Ontario from the Luck family Tuesday night on a voice-over Internet phone (VoIP), an ambulance was sent to their one-time home in Mississauga - the last address the company had for them.
After waiting for 30 minutes for help at their Coventry Hills home, Elijah Luck's parents then contacted Calgary 911 on a neighbour's landline phone but the boy died from an apparent heart attack by the time he'd reached the Alberta Children's Hospital.
He'd suffered a seizure two hours after receiving a flu shot.
The family moved to Calgary about two years ago and moved again from Varsity to their current northwest home but the Lucks had notified Comwave about the changes, said family spokesman Jude D'Souza.
"Their address had been changed twice, the mom told me that," said D'Souza.
A federal regulator is investigating the tragedy but early findings are that Comwave acted appropriately, said Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) spokesman Paul Godin."We want to make sure the rules in place were followed and our preliminary indications are they were," said Godin.
But he said CRTC officials hadn't yet reviewed Comwave's 911 tape to make a final decision.
CRTC and industry are developing a VoIP system that will instantly provide Internet contact centres with the caller's current address, he said.
"Hopefully, we'll have that in the next 12-18 months," said Godin.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Albe...49036-sun.html
CALGARY -- Paramedics were sent to the former Toronto-area home of a Calgary family as their baby son was dying, said an Internet phone firm the boy's parents had contacted during the emergency.
Comwave officials said after they received a call at their centre in Ontario from the Luck family Tuesday night on a voice-over Internet phone (VoIP), an ambulance was sent to their one-time home in Mississauga - the last address the company had for them.
After waiting for 30 minutes for help at their Coventry Hills home, Elijah Luck's parents then contacted Calgary 911 on a neighbour's landline phone but the boy died from an apparent heart attack by the time he'd reached the Alberta Children's Hospital.
He'd suffered a seizure two hours after receiving a flu shot.
The family moved to Calgary about two years ago and moved again from Varsity to their current northwest home but the Lucks had notified Comwave about the changes, said family spokesman Jude D'Souza.
"Their address had been changed twice, the mom told me that," said D'Souza.
A federal regulator is investigating the tragedy but early findings are that Comwave acted appropriately, said Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) spokesman Paul Godin."We want to make sure the rules in place were followed and our preliminary indications are they were," said Godin.
But he said CRTC officials hadn't yet reviewed Comwave's 911 tape to make a final decision.
CRTC and industry are developing a VoIP system that will instantly provide Internet contact centres with the caller's current address, he said.
"Hopefully, we'll have that in the next 12-18 months," said Godin.
May 2nd, 2008, 11:10 PM
Quoting MHz
If your kid is dying in your arms of a heart attack, you might not be thinking clearly. The call center may have just simply said 'we have your address, an ambulance is on it's way'. I don't know that you'd think twice about it.
Why wouldn't the caller give the correct address themselves?
I had Dorothy
Posts: 1,054 
Location: not in Kansas anymore
Location: not in Kansas anymore
May 3rd, 2008, 03:24 AM
Quoting karrie
No.They talked for a while . The woman was upset,as we all would be. I will reserve judgement until the tape is public,but I will bet now that the woman is at fault. Sad,but sometimes people are wrong,it is not always the gov't or corporations that make mistakes.Watch for the lawsuit!!!!
If your kid is dying in your arms of a heart attack, you might not be thinking clearly. The call center may have just simply said 'we have your address, an ambulance is on it's way'. I don't know that you'd think twice about it.
Genius
Posts: 821
Location: Red Deer AB
Location: Red Deer AB
May 3rd, 2008, 09:35 AM
Fortunately I've never been in that kind of situation. Doesn't 911 stay on the line? Anytime you move your cable company gets your new address otherwise your phone won't work.
And just why would a 911 call be routed to Ontario if the friggin call is made in Calgary? (if I got that part right).
Wally, did you read the article? The boy died because " He'd suffered a seizure two hours after receiving a flu shot." Now just who do you think should be getting served?
I'm not sure about Canada but I think the US has recently passed legislation that makes it impossible to sue any drug manufacturer, no matter if they are at fault or not.
Fortunately I've never been in that kind of situation. Doesn't 911 stay on the line? Anytime you move your cable company gets your new address otherwise your phone won't work.
And just why would a 911 call be routed to Ontario if the friggin call is made in Calgary? (if I got that part right).
Wally, did you read the article? The boy died because " He'd suffered a seizure two hours after receiving a flu shot." Now just who do you think should be getting served?
I'm not sure about Canada but I think the US has recently passed legislation that makes it impossible to sue any drug manufacturer, no matter if they are at fault or not.
May 3rd, 2008, 11:11 AM
VOIP is voice over internet protocol, and it can't track your location the way that normal telephone lines or even cable telephone lines track it. Her address clearly hadn't changed properly in the system, thus the call was routed to her old address.
Normally 911 calls stay on the line with you, yes, but they also assume they know the correct location based on what their computers are telling them.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of this (and yes, even the immunization part).
VOIP is voice over internet protocol, and it can't track your location the way that normal telephone lines or even cable telephone lines track it. Her address clearly hadn't changed properly in the system, thus the call was routed to her old address.
Normally 911 calls stay on the line with you, yes, but they also assume they know the correct location based on what their computers are telling them.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of this (and yes, even the immunization part).
