When 911 can’t find the injured | Morning Newsletter
And Philly’s car attack prevention plan
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to Sunday. It’s sunny again, but a storm is brewing. A winter weather advisory remains in effect as a round of snow is expected to arrive in the region starting late tonight but with totals unclear amid a shifting forecast.
When an 81-year-old Center City resident fell and hit her head on the Schuylkill River Trail in October, help from emergency responders was delayed. Our main read explores why the city struggled to find her and others injured along Philadelphia’s trails.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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The city sought to resolve the problem a decade ago with “help locator” signs along various trails and marked maps for police, fire, and ambulance responders.
Today, 911 dispatchers are still having a hard time locating individuals who are hurt on Philadelphia’s trails.
The reasons behind this issue include:
📲 The limitations of today’s 911 technology
👥 A lack of training or experience among new dispatchers
📍 Uninformed trail users who don’t know to look for mile markers or help locators
In the case of Barbara Krassenstein, 81, she was lying unconscious and bloodied on the concrete path when an unidentified Good Samaritan found her and called 911. However, the dispatcher could not pinpoint their location and reportedly refused to send paramedics.
Krassenstein was later hospitalized and received several stitches to treat her wound. But a delay in medical attention can jeopardize any person’s life.
Notable quote: “Nobody wants this to be a problem,” said Joseph Syrnick, president of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation. “I think dispatchers are always trying to genuinely get you help. They just don’t always know how to do it. You’d think in this day and age, it would be easy, but it’s not.”
Go deeper into the story with investigative reporter Wendy Ruderman to hear more of the community’s experiences with dispatchers.
🎤 Let’s pass the mic to City Hall reporter Sean Collins Walsh.
From block parties to the nation’s birthday, Philadelphia hosts numerous events that involve the type of large outdoor gatherings that make public safety officials worry about the potential for an automobile-based attack like the one that killed 14 people in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Philly officials have been working to prevent such an attack from happening since at least 2016, when a terrorist drove a 19-ton truck through a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, killing 86 people.
The New Orleans tragedy, he said, was the latest reminder that the threat remains.
“Seeing where this person was able to defeat the barrier system that they had in place, then we right away started looking at our system to see where we have to make enhancements,” Bethel said in an interview Friday. “We’re seeing on a yearly basis now where individuals are using cars as a device to cause injury, and that creates a significant, significant challenge for us in policing.”
Here’s what you need to know about Philly’s efforts to prevent a motor vehicle attack. — Sean Collins Walsh
What you should know today
A North Philadelphia man whose attempted-murder conviction was vacated in the fall after he spent nearly 19 years in prison has sued the city and two police officers, alleging that he was wrongfully convicted based on evidence police knew was “false, improbable and unreliable.”
Howard Eskin called the reports surrounding his sudden departure from WIP-FM (94.1) a “vicious smear campaign being waged against me by a small group of employees at the station.”
Police identified the man who was struck and killed Friday night by a SEPTA bus in South Philadelphia as Michael Spooner. His wife was also hit and was hospitalized in stable condition.
Survivors of domestic violence in Pennsylvania will soon be allowed to bring their pets with them when fleeing their abusers, under a new law.
An influential advocate for breast cancer research was among locals being honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal Thursday.
St. Luke’s University Health Network is set to acquire Grand View Health in Bucks County, a move that will extend the Lehigh Valley-based health system’s reach deeper into the Philadelphia suburbs.
Alfred L. Dezzi, a retired longtime city and Pennsylvania state official, has died at 77. His signature work involved turning Philadelphia’s nascent recycling effort into one of the largest and most celebrated municipal programs in the country.
Since Donald Trump’s reelection in November, nontraditional gun groups across the city and country have seen a flood of interest. In Philadelphia, residents have peppered local queer Facebook groups with questions about guns and training.
Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester was sworn into the Senate Friday, becoming the first Black woman to represent Delaware in the chamber. Taking her seat in the U.S. House is Sarah McBride, who officially became the first transgender person to serve in Congress upon taking the oath.
Restaurant housewarming parties have become a trend. While friends-and-family events traditionally are dress rehearsals for restaurants, chefs are now also throwing housewarming parties.
The Birds’ last regular-season game is today against the New York Giants. Inquirer writers lay out predictions for the matchup, and rank the Eagles’ potential playoff opponents from most to least favorable. (P.S. No matter what happens, Verizon will still host Super Bowl FanFest at Lincoln Financial Field.)
❓Pop quiz
Which was not one of 2024′s unusual Zillow home-search terms for Pennsylvania?
A) Haunted homes
B) Pony farm
C) Pool
D) Robot housekeeper
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Jason Kelce booked this former Sixers star and Hall of Famer as one of his first guests on his new late-night show
BLEACHER SKYLAR
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Roserita Fratoni who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: A Complete Unknown. If you’re looking for something new to watch besides Wicked and Moana 2, the Bob Dylan biopic is one of several great films now showing at Philly’s independent theaters.
Photo of the day
🎶 Today’s track goes like this: “Honey, it’s alright / To be amongst the rubble and stone.”
On another musical note, let trending reporter Emily Bloch show you the top artists and songs played on local bars’ TouchTunes jukebox machines.
👋🏽 Thanks for spending some time with The Inquirer this morning. Take care and stay warm.