Polk County, IA

On November 16, Kathryn Mein called 911 when her husband, Scott, complained of numbness and pain. She provided her address, but the dispatcher sent Ankeny emergency crews to the wrong location using information maintained by Qwest. The error caused an 8 minute delay; Scott later died at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. In general, Iowa state law protects sheriff's personnel from lawsuits when their efforts do not constitute willful neglect and also grants immunity to emergency response systems as a whole. However, Polk County agreed to settle a case for $50,000 due to the tragic nature of the events and the potential for a drawn out legal fight. (May-17-06) [DES MOINES REGISTER]

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