Spanish 911 call delays EMS for woman shot in head

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A woman shot in the head outside an Albuquerque restaurant was delayed medical care after a language barrier prevented 911 from sending help.

Witnesses said the woman entered the restaurant bleeding and asking for help, so they called 911, KOAT reports.

The employee who dialed 911 only speaks Spanish, and no Spanish-speaking dispatchers were working that night.

The dispatcher attempted to glean as much information as possible from the caller while working with a translation program. After 10 minutes an English speaking employee got on the line.

EMS response took another 10 minutes.

The woman was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.