LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A 13-year-old died in monsoonal flash flood waters in Las Vegas on September 2. Channel 13 requested records of the 911 calls to better understand response times, as witnesses reported long wait times for help to arrive.
When Ryan Taylor became trapped under an SUV partially submerged in floodwaters, people in the area started calling for help. At 3:15 p.m., one caller says they had been waiting on the line for five minutes.
Call #1
Sat, Sept. 2, 2023, 3:15 p.m.
Operator: 911 emergency.
Caller: There was a [unintelligble] on a little boat thing and got sucked under a car and there was a whole bunch of water on him.
Operator: What got stuck under a car sir?
Caller: A person. He got sucked under a car. The water pushed him under. It's 5600 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV.
Operator: You said 600 Boulder Highway.
Caller: 5600.
Operator: 5600 Boulder Highway in front of Sportsman's Manor.
Caller: Sportsman's Manor.
Operator: How long ago did you see that?
Caller: It's been like five minutes. Five minutes since I've been on the call.
Three minutes later, at 3:18 p.m., a second call was made to 911. In the recording, a woman can be heard explaining to the operator that people are working together to flip the car over but haven’t been successful.
Caller: they’re trying to get him out from under the van. That van is halfway full.
At one point during the three minute phone call with the second caller, the group was able to grab the child, but his condition was declining.
Caller: Oh my god. He's not breathing.
Operator: They got him out from under the van? Yes.
As they wait for first responders to arrive, the caller decides to take matters into her own hands.
Caller: I am certified. Let me do CPR on him. Over here! I'll do CPR on him. Turn him over, turn him over!
The operator then transferred the call over to the fire department, where the following message played for 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
"You have reached emergency fire medical services. Please do not hang up. Your call will be answered in the order received."
In the minutes that follow, six more calls are made to 911.
The final call to 911 showed similar frustrations as people continued to wait for emergency assistance. This call, coming in at 3:33 p.m., includes a statement that bystanders had been waiting for 15 minutes.
Call #8
Sat. Sept. 2, 2023, 3:33 p.m.
Operator: 911. Emergency. Do you need police, fire, or medical? Hello? I'm sorry.
Caller: Medical. There is a dead child. A kid drowned.
Operator: Where are they at?
Caller: 5600, the back of the apartment complex.
Operator: 5600. Where?
Caller: Behind Building H. God [expletive]. This is not your first [expletive] call.
Operator: Okay. Yeah. It looks like we already have units on the way and so is medical. Do you have anymore information for me or no?
Caller: My information for you is that is has been 15 [expletive] minutes and there's no medical here. A kid has died.
Operator: It looks like units are arriving right now. Do you have anymore changes?
Caller: My only other information is you guys are doing a really [expletive] job.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to Channel 13's request on Thursday afternoon. They sent a statement via email saying:
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Taylor family while they deal with the tragic loss of Ryan.
On September 2, 2023, the Las Vegas Valley was hit with a natural disaster that caused massive flooding and impacted our response time. The LVMPD Communications Bureau received 4,133 emergency calls that day, with 823 of those 911 calls coming between 2 and 4 p.m. It is important to note that the Saturday prior during the same time frame, our communication center received an average of 201 emergency calls.
The timeline of event LLV230900005847 involving Ryan Taylor:
3:11 p.m. – call was placed to 911
3:15 p.m. – the 911 professional answered the call
3:19 p.m. – the first patrol officer was assigned to the call
3:26 p.m. – the first patrol officer arrived and started CPR."
LVMPD also shared that one of Sheriff Kevin McMahill's priorities is to reduce the amount of time an individual waits for help to arrive during an emergency.
"LVMPD is working to alleviate emergency call wait times. We have brought in employees from other sections within the department to help answer calls. Thirty-five communications academy graduates are answering calls during their floor training. And we currently have an academy with 50 call takers/dispatchers who will graduate in October."
