911 Tape Reveals Time Wasted in George Clooney Crash
WEEHAWKEN - The audio tape of a frantic 911 call by a good Samaritan who spotted George Clooney's motorcycle accident Friday sounds like something from a bad Hollywood comedy, with the caller and the dispatcher unable to understand each other and the paramedics losing precious minutes in the meantime.
The tape, which was making its rounds yesterday on the Internet, documents minutes of back-and-forth between the caller and dispatcher trying to pinpoint the exact location - and city - of the accident in which Clooney suffered a broken rib and scrapes and his girlfriend broke two toes.
The caller was driving along Boulevard East and pulled over at about 3:30 p.m. Friday when he saw the former "ER" doc and "Fear Factor" winner Sara Larson on the ground near Clooney's rented blue Harley.
The driver, who never recognized Clooney as a famous actor, called 911.
Within a minute, the 911 dispatcher established there was a motorcycle accident at Boulevard East and King Avenue and routed the call to the Jersey City Medical Center EMS dispatcher.
But it took four minutes more, according to the tape, before the caller received confirmation that an ambulance was on its way.
Several minutes elapsed as the caller and the JCMC dispatcher went back and forth trying to nail down the exact location of the accident. The caller thought he was in Union City.
Not until halfway through the call did the dispatcher realize he was dealing with a motorcycle accident, that "everyone is conscious," and that Clooney and Larson had cuts and scrapes and a possible "busted leg."
Although the caller is repeatedly heard asking for an ambulance, it is only seconds before the end of the call that the dispatcher is heard saying "help is on the way."
Eventually, the ambulance made it to the scene and took the Hollywood couple to Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen.
John McKeegan, a spokesman for the Jersey City Medical Center, said the recording showed the caller had difficulty hearing the dispatcher and that they had to sort out misinformation - which is not uncommon during the panic of an emergency.
He said that from the caller's tone and comments, the injuries did not appear serious.
McKeegan said the ambulance took eight minutes to arrive at the scene from when the call came in, which he described as "pretty short." The average response time in Hudson County is 10 minutes, he said.
Sources in the industry who heard the tape had mixed reactions. According to one source, who did not want to named because he is not authorized to speak to the press, the confusion is "of concern." The dispatcher spent unnecessary time trying to establish the street number and the town when having the cross streets should have been sufficient, he said.
Clooney claims he was struck by a car passing him on the left. The driver, Weehawken resident Albert Sciancalepore, claims he was making a right turn when Clooney unexpectedly tried to pass him on the right - a motor vehicle violation, according to authorities.
Neither the driver nor Clooney were issued summonses.
