Court reopens case, may find 911 operators liable

An appeals court in New Jersey has partially reversed the decision of a Hudson County civil court judge who dismissed the lawsuit brought by a boy who was stabbed multiple times but survived the attack that claimed the life of his mother and siblings.
Wednesday’s ruling reinstated the City of Jersey City and two city 911 call takers as defendants in the suit filed by Paris Wilson, reversing in part the April 15, 2009 decision by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Frances Antonin.

Dwayne Wilson, 41, is charged with the bloody murder of his sister, Marcia Wilson, 35, her daughter Dartagania and her son DeQuan, both 11, either late Sept. 19 or early Sept. 20, 2005, in the family’s Wegman Parkway home.

Paris Wilson, who is now 14, drifted in and out of consciousness and said his mother died quickly but his brother and sister were alive for some time.

Roughly 36 hours after the stabbing, Paris managed to call 911 and he was the only one found alive.

Paris and the estates of his brother and sister originally sued Jersey City, the 911 operators, a dispatcher and two police officers, claiming the two children could have been saved if mistakes in handling and responding to 911 calls were not made.

The appellate court upheld the Judge Antonin’s decision that the dispatcher and the two police officers could not be held liable.

But the appellate court reopened the possibility that the city and the two 911 call takers could be held liable.

Read the full story here.

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