"I do not know why you panic"

Debbie Stevens was delivering newspapers to Fort Smith, Arkansas, when her car was swept away by the floods. A distraught Stevens called 911 for help.

Instead of receiving help, she was mocked by the 911 operator who told Stevens, panicked, "You're not going to die, I do not know why you panic" while Water slowly filled his car. Stevens sank later.

The police broadcast the sound of the disturbing 911 call on Friday, but not the dispatcher's name. One can hear Stevens begging for help, repeating, "Please, help me, I do not want to die."

The 911 dispatcher responded to Stevens in a mocking tone, casually saying the authorities would get there when they arrived.

Dispatcher: "You will not die, I do not know why you panic, it's good, I know that the water level is high."
Stevens: "I'm scared, I'm sorry."
Dispatcher: "I understand that, but you panic – do not lose your oxygen there, so calm down."
Stevens: "When will they be here?"
Dispatcher: "As soon as they arrive there."

At one point, the 911 operator blames Stevens for driving into the water.

Stevens: "I'm scared, I've never had anything like that before."
Dispatcher: "This will teach you next time, do not drive in the water."
Stevens: "I could not see it, ma'am, I'm sorry or I would not have done it."
Dispatcher: "I do not see how you did not see it, you had to go over it, then."

The full audio of the 911 call and images from the police police camera can be viewed in the video below, but a warning to readers, some might find it disturbing.

The authorities reacted 12 minutes after Stevens 'first call to 911, but because of the floodwater, it took more than an hour for anyone to reach Stevens' vehicle. By the time the police and firefighters were able to secure the car, Stevens had drowned.

Forth Smith Acting Police Chief Danny Baker said he understood the angry reactions to the way the 911 operator treated Stevens in his last moments. Baker said the dispatcher had warned two weeks in advance and that Stevens' phone call for help had occurred during his last shift.

"I understand that listening to a person feeling the panic that Mrs. Stevens had been experiencing in the last moments of her life would all hope that we would get a slightly better answer than she was given," he said. Baker at KHBS after the 911 call was released. "I do not want us to interact with anyone this way, whether it's a life or death situation or not."

When asked why Stevens' call was not high, which would have put in place a number of procedures, Mr. Baker said the dispatcher was probably not aware of the seriousness of the situation. Baker told KHBS that an investigation was underway on the dispatcher's behavior, but then added that the 911 operator had done nothing wrong.

"She has done nothing wrong in criminal matters, I will not even go so far as to say that she has violated the policy," Baker told KHBS.

"I am sorry for this tragic loss of life and my prayers are going to Debra's family and friends," Baker said in a statement to the media. "All of our first responders who tried to save Mrs. Stevens are upset by the result, and for all of us, saving lives is at the very heart of who we are and why we do what we do.

Stevens was 47 years old at the time of his death. Her friend Neal Martin has described her as a "maid model".

"She was a hard-working, hard-working woman who would give birth in the snow and ice when hardly anyone would," said Latonya Stolz. Record of time. "It shows how dedicated she is to her work and to making others happy that she was."