Dying Grandmother's Emergency Call 'Outsourced'
BOYNTON BEACH (CBS4) - Cable giant Comcast says the operator who couldn't find the address of a dying Boynton Beach grandmother who called "O" for help wasn't an employee with the cable company, and wasn't even in the same state where the woman was bleeding to death.
Sidell Reiner died when the operator she called could not access her customer records to find out where she was. The operator transferred the call to police but could not provide her address. It took 16 minutes to locate and have paramedics arrive.
By the time dispatchers figured out where she was, there was no answer at the door and paramedics left, believing it to be an 'unfounded' call.
Comcast told the South Florida Sun Sentinel the employee who took her call was working for Interstate FiberNet Inc., a private company hired by Comcast to provide operator services.
Fibernet's website says it employs "highly-skilled U.S.-based, onshore operators" who help place collect, calling card and person-to-person calls. The website doesn't mention how calls for emergency help are handled.
Reiner's family has filed a lawsuit against Comcast.
