Two-year-old Yuna Feeley died after a long wait for an ambulance in Massachusetts.
Yuna, from Winthrop near Boston, had a respiratory illness. On the morning of January 26, she suddenly went limp in her mother’s arms. She then stopped breathing.
Her mother, Andrea Feeley, called 911. But trained paramedics did not arrive.
What happened during the 911 call
The call went to Action Ambulance Service, a private company serving Winthrop. Both of its ambulances were already on other calls.
A fire crew was sent instead. Firefighters arrived about seven minutes after the call.
Why an ambulance did not arrive
Firefighters quickly saw Yuna needed advanced life support. They radioed for an ambulance.
But there was no ambulance available to respond. After about 15 minutes, none had arrived. That is well above the eight-minute target for cardiac arrest calls.
The rush to the hospital
One firefighter drove Yuna to Massachusetts General Hospital in his car. Two other firefighters gave CPR during the drive.
Yuna was pronounced dead on arrival. She reached the hospital about 23 minutes after the 911 call.
Autopsy result
An autopsy found the cause of death was necrotizing pneumonia. It is a rare but severe lung infection. It proved fatal on top of her respiratory virus.
What investigators and the company said
Action Ambulance told DailyMail.com it was a devastating case. It said EMS systems are strained by more calls, staffing gaps, and ER backlogs.
A Boston Globe investigation pointed to a wider shortage of ambulances and EMS staff. Experts told the paper paramedics may have been able to give more advanced care, including epinephrine, stronger defibrillators, and IV fluids.
Andrea Feeley told NBC10 Boston her daughter deserved “an ambulance and paramedics who could have possibly done more.”