NSW:Triple zero operators apologise for mishandling teen's calls
22 Apr 2009 7:26 PM
Three triple-zero operators .. who bungled a series of calls from a dying schoolboy lost in the New South Wales Blue Mountains .. have apologised for their conduct.
One of the women wept in Penrith Coroner's Court as she admitted not following the Ambulance Service's emergency call procedures .. which are still criticised as inadequate.
17-year-old Sydney Grammar School student DAVID IREDALE became separated from two classmates on a three-day trek in the heat of December 2006 .. and his body wasn't found for eight days.
Alone and without water for at least 18 hours .. David made five desperate emergency calls within a 30 minute period.
But he was fobbed off because he couldn't provide a street location .. which the Triple Zero operators said was needed before his call could be passed on to emergency services.
The inquest continues tomorrow.
