College Park volleyball team heartbroken, angry after teen's death at practice
Volleyball team holds vigil for teammate
New details have been revealed in the death of teenage athlete in College Park. Fifteen-year-old Mandy Sylvester collapsed during volleyball practice last week at the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center. The Grady EMS ambulance they called for reportedly never showed.
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - Teammates of 15-year-old Amanda "Mandy" Sylvester returned to the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center on Thursday night for a vigil in her honor, one week after she collapsed there during practice.
Newly released 911 calls, security footage, and records obtained by FOX 5 reveal a long wait for an ambulance.
Sylvester’s teammates and friends honored her during a vigil Wednesday evening.
"She’ll bring positivity," one teammate said. "Like, when you’re down, she’ll come and say sorry and tell you to shake it off."
"Within about eight minutes, College Park Fire Rescue was on the scene," Bill Crane, College Park spokesperson, said.
Recordings of the 911 call revealed the fire department arrived quickly, but an ambulance never followed.
"The fire department is here, but we want an ambulance," the caller said.
"Let me get you through to Grady," the dispatcher responded.
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After waiting about 45 minutes for an ambulance, firefighters reportedly used a rolling chair to get Sylvester to her mother’s car.
Her mother ultimately drove her to the hospital herself.
"They’re at level zero right now, meaning they don’t have any ambulances available," a radio call stated.
Amanda "Mandy" Sylvester (Supplied)
Meanwhile, Grady attributed the delay to "limited information the College Park communications center provided."
"There’s been a longstanding problem south of I-20, with having sufficient resources to handle the population, particularly in certain times of the year and on weekends in general," Crane said.
Grady also stated that College Park medics could have transported Sylvester themselves if the situation had been deemed life-threatening.
"Still no unit in route," a radio call confirmed. "They’re advising they’re at level zero."
Sylvester’s coach expressed frustration with the situation. "Something’s gotta give," Catherine Murray, Dream Chasers coach, said. "When I say something’s gotta give, it’s like something happened, and we’ve got to fix whatever that is that allowed that to happen."
The Fulton County Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Sylvester’s death.
A memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Source: This article is based on original reporting by FOX 5's Rob DiRienzo.