An Atlanta area teen athlete died after collapsing during a volleyball practice on Thursday. Amanda Sylvester, 15, was at a club volleyball practice at the Tracey Wyatt Recreations Center in College Park when she collapsed on the floor, Georgia officials said.
“Within about eight minutes, College Park Rire Rescue EMTS were on site,” Bill Crane, a spokesman for Fulton County, was quoted by 11Alive. “The young lady, by then, was conscious, evaluated, and assessed. Her vitals were all normal; she was making eye contact, her pupils weren’t dilated, and she was conversant.”
While EMTs helped stabilize the teen, a call was made for an ambulance but it never showed up for 40 minutes. City officials said Grady EMS “never fully responded” to the request for the ambulance after calling several times.
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Sylvester’s mother then decided to drive her to a children’s hospital. “The mother felt comfortable enough to put the child in the car. But at the same time – you just never know. When you call for an ambulance, that’s what you want. And you want it fast,” said a College Park city councilwoman, Jamelle McKenzie.
At Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital, Sylvester went into cardiac failure and was revived once before she died.
Catherine Murray, who is with the volleyball club, said the ambulance delay was “unacceptable.”
“We have precious lives in our hands, and we’re responsible for these precious lives,” she said. “We have to have a better network and system to protect these kids.”
“We are all devastated by this tragic loss of life at such a young age,” Dr. Emmanuel Adediran, College Park’s city manager, added. “Our Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department staff, College Park Fire Rescue as well as the volleyball club coaches, parents and staff followed all protocols related to an injury or health care distress.”
In a statement, Grady EMS stated: “Following an update on the patient’s condition, the call was reclassified, and a Grady EMS unit was promptly dispatched. However, as our unit was en route, College Park Fire determined that additional EMS support was no longer needed due to the patient being transported to the hospital via personal vehicle.”
