MEMPHIS, TN - A Memphis family says 79 year-old Tina French didn't have to die and blames the Memphis Fire Department.

French wore an emergency alert alarm around her neck, because of a life threatening illness. On March 25, 2008, French was having breathing problems and pulled the alarm. Her granddaughter Keva Thomas says ADT, the company that monitored the alarm, called Memphis fire dispatch. Dispatch records show the call was placed to the City of Memphis.

Jeffrey Rosenblum, the family’s attorney, says "On the night in question, at 1:19 a.m., the grandmother pushes the Life Alert button and ADT does what they are supposed to do."
Rosenblum adds although the Memphis Fire Department got the call, something went wrong.

"The City of Memphis has not been able to tell us what happened. And if that’s the case we'll assume they received a 911 call, they ignored a 911 call and a women is dead as a result," said Rosenblum.

Thomas says her grandmother was a loving, caring woman who wanted to live on her own. French had a life threatening disease called COPD, which caused her lungs to fill with fluid, said her granddaughter. She says her grandmother had used her life alert button at least 2 times previously.

Thomas says her grandmother died waiting for the ambulance that never came. “When we went around the back to look in, my grandmother was sitting on the couch. She was sitting there like she was waiting. She had a tissue in her hand… she was already gone,” said Thomas. She went on to say, “It was a let down for her. She thought they were coming."

Thomas says, when she found her grandmother’s body, she called 911 at 2:59 a.m. The ambulance arrived in just a few minutes, but by that time it was too late.

The Memphis Fire Department is not commenting.