Man drowns as pleas to call 911 ignored, woman says

[oneh2obabe]

Alyshah Hasham
Staff Reporter

The pleas of a distraught native man who called 911 for his drowning friend may have been ignored for half an hour, said the woman who finally made the urgent call to EMS.

The dishevelled, scruffy-haired man in his late fifties approached Lani Elliott, 42, on Saturday afternoon at Wascana Lake, north of Regina.

He looked like a “street person,” she said.

“I need to borrow your phone to call 911. My friend just died over there,” he pleaded, pointing at the water. “Please call 911 for me.”

Elliott did so immediately. Crying, he told her he had been asking for help since his friend entered the lake half an hour ago.

She said he told her there were many people by the water, much closer than he was.

“If he had been clean-shaven, not aboriginal and well-dressed, his friend’s life might have been saved.”

On Sunday, the body of Darlyn Boyd Johns, 47, was pulled from the lake. Chief coroner Kent Stewart believes it was an accidental drowning. A toxicology report will be completed in the next few weeks.

Johns’ son Zack Stevenson, 20 is devastated. He can’t understand why no one would call 911.

“People don’t just run up to you and say, ‘My buddy is drowning.’ I hope they understand now that it was a real thing. Next time, they’ll do something,” said Stevenson. “My dad would have done it for them.”

“People are hateful,” said his sister, Melissa Johns, 22. She said her father was living in the park next to lake. He was homeless after getting out of jail a few months ago, said Stevenson. He said his father was a serious drinker most of his life.

Elliott said she did not smell any alcohol on the man asking for help, though she had a cold. She believes he finally approached her because she is also native.

After the police arrived, a woman told Elliott the man had approached her earlier. She said she thought he would steal her phone, said Elliott.

“I was disgusted” she said.

“Everybody deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. He wasn’t. And because of that his friend died.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/arti ... -says?bn=1

[steven lloyd]

wow - that is a sad story

[Oxl3y]

I can understand being apprehensive about handing your phone over but why would no one at least call for him??

[Piecemaker]

Based on his appearance, he was not deemed credible, worthy and people wouldn't trust him. Probably the story of his life.
That is how we humans tend to judge. If he had looked like Ted Bundy, someone whould have called.
Although we are no longer in caves worrying about beasts consuming us, we still make decisions about others on a primal level.

[Merry]

This is a terrible story, and one that should give us all "food for thought" the next time we encounter someone who looks very "down and out". No-ones suggesting we have to invite these people into our homes, or become their best friend, but we shouldn't make assumptions based totally on the way people look either. And we certainly shouldn't treat them worse than we'd treat a dog.