Amanda Sylvester died after she collapsed and allegedly waited 45 minutes for an ambulance before her mom decided to drive her to the hospital
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NEED TO KNOW
- The family of Amanda Sylvester filed a legal complaint against an Atlanta-area hospital and EMS service following her death
- The 15-year-old died in December 2024 after she collapsed during volleyball practice and allegedly waited 45 minutes for an ambulance before her mother drove her to the hospital
- The family alleges that Grady EMS failed to request mutual aid from other ambulance providers or notify them of an ambulance shortage
A Georgia family is suing a local hospital system following the death of their 15-year-old daughter, who collapsed during a volleyball practice and had to be driven to the hospital by her mother after no ambulances were available.
On June 19, attorneys announced that the family of Amanda "Mandy" Sylvester had filed a lawsuit against Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation and Grady EMS in Atlanta. The legal complaint was filed in Fulton County State Court on June 15, with the family demanding a jury trial.
According to a press release from the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, Sylvester collapsed while running laps at volleyball practice in College Park, located just south of Atlanta, on Dec. 5, 2024.
Staff at the sports center called 911 at 6:09 p.m. Amanda's family alleges that Grady EMS — the only ambulance provider in the area — had no ambulances available at the time and that the organization did not seek out any assistance from other EMS providers.
The teen's mother, Barbara Sylvester, then drove her daughter to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta after waiting for about 45 minutes, the filing alleges. On the way, Amanda experienced seizures and other medical complications.
"When I got to the hospital, I had to drop her off because I had to go park. I couldn't stay with my baby, and by the time I got back inside, she was in cardiac arrest," Barbara said at the press conference, per WSB-TV and FOX 5 Atlanta.
"I never got to talk to her, hold her, and have my child again. This has been the worst experience any mother could ever have," she added.
The complaint, obtained by local outlet Saporta Report and reviewed by PEOPLE, alleges that when staff called an ambulance for Amanda, Grady EMS was operating at "level zero" — meaning no ambulances were available. The suit also claims that 911 callers were not told about the ambulance shortage until a second call was placed about 20 minutes later.
"Had they known that Grady did not have any ambulances available, they could've had more precious minutes," Crump added at Friday's press conference, per WSB.
According to the family's attorneys, Georgia law requires ambulance providers to request mutual aid when they are unable to provide resources. The complaint claims that Grady EMS failed to follow those requirements — and failed to notify both emergency personnel and Amanda’s family that no ambulances were available.
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Grady Hospital administration told PEOPLE in a statement that it intends to "respond through the appropriate legal process."
"Because federal and state privacy laws restrict what we may disclose regarding a patient’s medical care or protected health information, we are limited in our ability to comment on the allegations," the organization's statement read.
PEOPLE reached out to the family’s legal team for comment on Saturday, June 20, but did not receive an immediate response.
At Friday's press conference, the teen's father, Anthony Sylvester Jr., said that the family chose to file the lawsuit to seek accountability for their daughter.
"When you call 911, you expect help to show up," he shared, per CBS Atlanta. "Grady let us down and did not send an ambulance."
Crump also said that this lawsuit opens a broader conversation about the availability of ambulances around the Atlanta area, as attorneys shared that other similar incidents, in which residents had to wait for excessive periods of time for an ambulance, have taken place in the region.
"Mandy deserved a chance," he said.
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