Everyone makes mistakes at work, but there’s real danger when a 911 dispatcher gets an address wrong. If the dispatcher was willfully negligent, should they be personally liable for the mistake?

Two people were murdered in St. Louis this past July when a 911 dispatcher gave police an incorrect address. Police may have been able to prevent the deaths had they been given the correct address.

Family members of the two victims have filed suit against the dispatcher, the St. Louis police, and the Board of Police Commissioners members from that time.

According to the lawsuit, the error was not an honest mistake. The operator was “disinterested” in the call, “like she couldn’t be bothered,” says the plaintiffs’ attorney.

Lawyers have heard the 911 audio, but police have not released reports of the incident.

Police attempted to arrive at the scene after the caller reported that her boyfriend had entered her apartment and choked her. After the boyfriend was made to leave, a friend called 911.

Before police arrived, the boyfriend had shot and killed Jessica Thompson, 25, and Tony Jordan, 32. Jordan was a grounds keeper who worked at the apartment complex where the tragic events occurred.

Everyone has high expectations for public safety employees. When true negligence occurs, unthinkable tragedies are possible. St. Louis personal injury attorneys can help in these situations to uncover the facts and hold parties accountable when necessary.