Six Year Old Vann Bowen's 911 Call About His Grandmother

Jonnieboi · #1 05-01-2010, 09:40 AM

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A six-year-old Franklin boy is credited with saving his great-grandmother's life after calling 911 Wednesday morning.

Franklin police said the boy, Vann Bowen, placed the call just before 6 a.m. when his great-grandmother wouldn't get out of bed.

"She said, try to get my mama because her head was hurting and she couldn't walk," Bowen said.

The first-grader was able to give his great-grandmother's address to emergency operators.

He also gave them his mother's cell phone number.

"I was a little nervous because I have never talked on 911 before," Bowen told News 2.

Dispatcher Mary Casteel was on the receiving end of the call.

"You never know what's going to be on the other end of that phone when it rings. I knew, right away, that this call was the real deal, and that someone needed our help," Casteel said, calling Bowen a "little hero."

Bowen's great-grandmother was rushed to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where she is now listed in stable condition.

Bowen's mother, Sue Knight, said doctors have still not diagnosed the cause of her grandmother's illness.

"We know it was not a stroke or an aneurysm but that is about all we know right now," Knight said.

Knight said she started teaching Vann his address and how to call 911 when he was three years old.

"Never take it for granted that it's not something they are going to use," Knight told News 2. "Teach it to them every day. Make them give you their address and their phone number."

Franklin Police Officer Patrick Tippit was one of the first emergency responders on the scene.

"It's never too early to teach your kids how and when to call for help," Tippit said. "You never know when they might be in trouble themselves, or able to help a parent, or in this case grandparent, when they need emergency assistance, but can't make the call themselves."

Since phones are more complex, Franklin police encourage parents to explain to their children the need to push the "talk" button on cordless phones and the "send" button on cell phones.

Bowen received cheers and applause in the hallways of Franklin Elementary School on Thursday.

Officers with the Franklin Police Department also visited him at school.

Bowen's mother said the normally laid-back boy is taking it all in stride.

"He just did what he was supposed to do," Knight said, adding, "Now if I can get him to eat vegetables or something else besides cheese pizza."