Parents of College Park volleyball player who collapsed, died hires high-profile attorney

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - The parents of Amanda "Mandy" Sylvester, a 15-year-old who collapsed during volleyball practice and later died, have hired prominent civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump to investigate the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s death.

Anthony and Barbara Sylvester stood alongside Crump at a press conference Thursday, demanding accountability and seeking to prevent similar tragedies.

Amanda "Mandy" Sylvester (Supplied)

What happened to Mandy Sylvester?

"We waited... we waited... we waited," said Barbara Sylvester, recalling the moments after her daughter collapsed on Dec. 5 at the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center. Bystanders called 911, but an ambulance from Grady EMS did not arrive until nearly an hour later.

According to Grady Health System, the initial emergency call was categorized as low acuity, meaning Mandy’s condition was not considered life-threatening. A second 911 call prompted an upgrade to high acuity, but by then, Mandy’s mother had already rushed her to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spaulding Hospital.

"All I could think is if I could just get her to the doctor, she’d be okay," said Barbara Sylvester.

Mandy arrived at the hospital at 7:20 p.m. Doctors revived her heart after it stopped once, but she was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m.

Mandy, who lived with Type 1 diabetes, was wearing a monitor linked to her mother’s phone. However, her family insists her death was unrelated to the condition.

Anthony Sylvester, her father, believes quicker action could have saved his daughter. "She could have been saved had someone responded. Had someone done something," he said.

Crump, known for representing families in high-profile cases, emphasized the failures he believes occurred that night. "For an ambulance not to show up for almost an hour, that is horrifying to every parent," Crump said.

He also criticized emergency response protocols. "Whether it’s Grady Hospital EMS or College Park Fire and Rescue, there were mistakes made from the very start. We’re going to get to the bottom of it. We owe it to Amanda. We owe it to this community."

Crump and his team have requested an independent autopsy to determine Mandy’s cause of death.

SEE ALSO:

• College Park volleyball player collapses, dies: Probe launched into lack of ambulance response
• College Park volleyball player collapses, dies: Grady EMS gives timeline of requested response
• College Park volleyball team heartbroken, angry after teen's death at practice

Barbara Sylvester echoed the family’s grief and frustration. "When you call for help, help should come."

For the Sylvester family, Dec. 5 is a date they will never forget. "The night of December fifth will forever be etched into the Sylvester family consciousness," said Anthony Sylvester. "It’s the day our youngest child, our only girl, collapsed and never came home."