Mashpee Installs Street Sign After Delayed EMT Response In Woman's Death
MASHPEE (CBS) - It's a small sign of relief for a Mashpee man who lost his fiancee in a horrible choking accident.
The town installed a street sign at the end of Brent McFarland's rural road, officially naming it Carter Lane.
"It gives me a little peace of mind, just a little," said McFarland.
The sign wasn't there back on Sept. 4, which he believes delayed the response when EMT's tried to make their way to his home as his fiancee Kate Gill was choking to death.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports.
"I need an ambulance, my girlfriend's choking," he can be heard screaming on the 9-1-1 call.
Until today, the house couldn't be found on the town maps or the direction books used by rescue crews. That night, McFarland could be heard on the call desperately trying to direct them.
"Minutes went by. They were looking in the wrong area, looking for a road that didn't exist," he said.
The town has long-considered McFarland's street a private way, but town manager Joyce Mason says it's now officially documented.
"It's clearly marked now and all the records reflect the new name and we're moving forward," she said.
But McFarland has laid some of the blame for his fiancee's death at the feet of the town, and a 9-1-1 dispatcher he says did little to help him in his panic.
The dispatcher has since resigned while the entire incident remains under investigation. Because the town still considers the road a private way, it plans to bill McFarland for the sign, which he plans to dispute.
