Atlanta High School Volleyball player, Amanda Sylvester meets a tragic demise following a delayed response from the EMS 

By Insiya Johar

Modified Dec 10, 2024 17:16 GMT

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Atlanta mourns the loss of high school student Amanda Sylvester. In an unfortunate incident last Thursday, 15-year-old volleyball player Amanda lost her life amid the claims of a delayed medical response in Georgia. As per reports, Sylvester was in a warmup session with her Dream Chasers volleyball club at the Tracy Wyatt Recreation Complex when she collapsed.

Bystanders responded swiftly, and the College Park Fire Department reached the scene on time and followed medical protocols. At that time, Amanda Sylvester could communicate with the emergency responders.

In a statement to Atlanta News First, College Park's city manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran, discussed how the coaches and department staff adhered to health distress protocols.

"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," Adediran said.

An ambulance was called, but the repeated plea for an ambulance after a one-hour wait prompted Amanda Sylvester's mother to transfer her to the hospital in her van. When Amanda Sylvester reached the hospital, she suffered a cardiac arrest. She was revived once, but unfortunately, she later passed away.

Grady EMS issues defense—saying they followed standard protocol in Amanda Sylvester's case

In response, Grady EMS stated to People a clarification that the initial call for an ambulance for Amanda Sylvester was deemed a low-severity situation.

"The call was categorized as low acuity, meaning the reported symptoms or conditions did not initially suggest an immediate life-threatening emergency that would require the immediate dispatch of an ambulance. This assessment follows our standard protocols designed to prioritize emergency resources efficiently," the statement said.

"However, it is important to note that when the 911 call came in, a College Park Fire Rescue unit, staffed with two Advanced EMTs, was already en route to the scene. They are equipped to provide medical care and transport patients to the hospital in a life-threatening situation," Grady EMS further added.

In a 2023 interview with Atlanta First News, Wade Elmore, a former College Park Fire Department member, discussed how the "decades-old" ambulance system delays response times. He noted that this can lead to patients waiting for up to an hour for state-authorized transport.

"We cannot transport them unless it’s a life-threatening situation. A patient who had mild chest pain, where we had to sit on scene and wait for an ambulance — after 20 minutes or so, conditions changed, the person has gone into cardiac arrest,” Elmore said.

According to Chad Black, a Georgia EMS Association board member, the current system isn't the issue, but the real culprit is the "zone rules." He suggested that the solution to resolve these issues is better communication with the South Fulton Country.

That same year, lawmakers introduced House Bill 124, which would allow local fire departments to provide EMT services, but the bill was never passed.