WSMV
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Questions about faulty equipment to paramedic dispatch time are being raised surrounding the collapse and death of Judge James Clayton. An investigation is under way in Cannon County to make sure everything was done by the book.
“I’m calling from the courthouse in town and the judge has fallen in the courtroom, and we need an ambulance,” said a 911 caller.
It was about one minute and eight seconds into the call that the dispatcher was finally told exactly what was going on.
“He’s fallen here in the floor. They are doing CPR on him,” the caller said.
“They’re doing CPR; that’s what I need to know,” said the dispatcher.
In the meantime, an attorney and a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency agent were performing CPR on Clayton.
“I overheard him saying, ‘Stay with me judge. Stay with me,’” said Mike Gannon, Cannon County executive.
Paramedics were dispatched at 8:50 a.m. They arrived at the scene six minutes later.
“Of course, everyone was anxious and excited, scared. A minute seemed like an eternity in that situation,” Gannon said. “It did seem like it took them a long time, but records show it wasn’t that long.”
Gannon said Judge Susan Melton pressed a panic button at the judge’s bench to alert medics when Clayton first collapsed. But the system was unplugged. Gannon said he isn’t sure how much time elapsed or if it delayed paramedics’ dispatch and response time.
“It could have. What I’m worried about is did they rely on it to call 911 and then it didn’t work? Then they went to a landline to call that way,” Gannon said.
The panic button has been repaired. There were also questions about the courthouse’s newly donated AED. Bystanders tried to use on Clayton, but it wouldn’t power up.
County officials said they received the AED a few weeks ago. The training video hasn’t even come in yet. So on Tuesday, it wasn’t the fact that it wasn’t working; the batteries had not yet been installed.
The county executive said he is investigating everything that occurred that day.
“We are in the process to make sure everything was done properly,” said Gannon.
Clayton spent 34 years as a General Sessions court judge. He had gone back into private practice and was at the courthouse to represent a client when he collapsed and later died.
Reprinted with permission from WSMV.