911 wait times in Kansas City: Mother, newborn son survive harrowing home birth

    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) -- A mother says she and her newborn son are lucky to be alive after helpers were unable to reach 911 in Kansas City, Missouri, for emergency help.

After a difficult birth with her daughter Olive in the hospital, resulting in her first six days in the neonatal intensive care unit, Devin Brown decided to give birth to her son, Wells Brown, at home with the help of a midwife.

That childbirth in the early morning of Saturday, August 31, became an emergency when Devin was heavily bleeding, and Wells was born not breathing.

“We called 911 three times, and we were put on hold each time,” Devin said.

Desperate for help, the mother's husband, Chris Brown, suggested her sister call her dad in Overland Park. He called 911 there.

After 17 minutes, help arrived.

Devin Brown and her newborn son, with both of their lives in peril, were rushed to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

“I got up while bleeding and my umbilical cord hanging out of me and walked out of our house and got onto a stretcher, and they took me and, I don't feel like I was in my body at that point,” Devin said. “I was in shock, and we didn't know if he was alive. It wasn't until I got to the hospital and the paramedics opened the doors and said he has a heartbeat, that I knew he was at least there.”

But Wells Brown still had long odds to survive.

He was undergoing therapy to keep his body cold and sedated to help his recovery.

Wells had seizures and was given a second medication one night.

“I didn't know if he was going to live through that night, or if he was going to be able to even have somewhat of a healthy and normal life. I got on my knees, and I just started praying, please, please protect my son, protect his brain,” Devin Brown said. “I can't go through this life losing my son. I don't know how I'll live or how I’ll be a good mom to Olive if we lose our son.”

KMBC Investigates has been following the issue of long Kansas City 911 wait times for more than a year.

It includes the case of Johnathan Scaletty, who was beaten up outside Arrowhead Stadium before a concert.

Lee's Summit couple said they waited one hour for ambulance after being assaultedLee's Summit couple said they waited one hour for ambulance after being assaulted outside Arrowhead Stadium According to the newest numbers from the Mid-America Regional Council, the average wait time for a 911 caller in August was 33 seconds.

On the day Wells was born, Saturday, August 31, the average wait time was 51 seconds.

The longest wait time that day was one hour, 29 minutes, and 20 seconds.

“Our lives are forever changed, right? Even if this goes as well as we hope it does, just the feeling of helplessness and watching your wife next to you, knowing she's not okay,” Chris Brown said. “Your son laying on the floor and just pleading with everything and anyone. Being that close, I don't ever want anyone to have to experience that.”

Chris and Devin Brown say their infant son is recovering.

He’s being fed with a tube through his nose. The next step forward would be for him to eat with his mouth.

It’s unclear at this point what permanent brain damage Wells may have suffered.

“Just the idea it's 2024 and 911 is unreliable. It's just, insane,” Chris Brown said.

A Meal Train has been set up to help support the Brown family as this ordeal is ongoing.

This incident caught the attention of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, whose own mother had to wait for help due to a delayed 911 call response.

Long wait times for people making emergency calls to 911 in Kansas City, MissouriLong wait times for people making emergency calls to 911 in Kansas City, Missouri Lucas plans to address this issue at the Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.