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10:19 a.m. • 2-10-12

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911 call: 'My body is hurting all over'


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Atlas Fraley, Chapel Hill football player who died
Atlas Fraley, Chapel Hill football player who died

A Chapel Hill High School football player called 911 a few hours before he was found dead Tuesday evening to ask for help to relieve body aches and dehydration.

Atlas Fraley, 17, of 202 Fan Branch Lane in Chapel Hill, was found unresponsive in his home Tuesday evening by his parents, and they were unable to revive him.

Fraley called 911 at 1:48 p.m. Tuesday, but the paramedics who went to his home didn't transport him to a hospital. Protocols used by Orange County Emergency Medical Services don't include a minimum age for allowing patients to refuse treatment.

EMS officials said Thursday they were conducting an investigation into how the case was handled, but they declined to say when the review would be completed. They declined to answer any questions about the case.

After participating in a scrimmage Tuesday morning at Middle Creek High School in Apex, Fraley, a senior offensive guard and defensive tackle for Chapel Hill High, complained of a headache, relatives said.

Although the caller isn't identified in the 911 call, a man tells the dispatcher in a weak voice that he had been at football practice earlier.

"My body is hurting all over," the caller said. "I think I need an IV or something."

The caller later told the dispatcher he wasn't bleeding and hadn't had any problems with his asthma.

"I think I'm just dehydrated and need an IV," he said.

David Fraley said he didn't know his son had called 911 until EMS officials told him on Wednesday. He said he is angry about the way paramedics responded to his son's call for help.

"He knew what was wrong with him, and the system let him down," David Fraley said. "They let him down. They let my son down and my family."

Authorities haven't released an official cause of death, but police said that there were no signs of foul play and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious.

Paramedics told the Fraley family that the teen had died of an asthma attack, David Fraley said, adding that he doesn't believe that.

"(Atlas) knew what to do if he started having difficulty with his asthma. He knew how to hook up his machine, he had an inhaler (and) everything was in the house that he needed," he said.

The younger Fraley’s body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.

Chapel Hill police aren't investigating the case, Lt. Kevin Gunter said.

RELATED TOPICS: Apex, Orange County, Cary

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103 Comments


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First I just wanted to say that a loss of a family member especially a child is a terrible thing. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family in their time of loss. Second I'm sure he knows his body , he knows if something is wrong or he is not feeling well. I only wish that EMS would of taken to the hospital...It could of made a difference. Sending the family the thoughts and prayers.

This is very tragic. Regardless of how Atlas described his condition or where his parents were, why wasn't he taken to the hospital? Always better to err on the side of caution. Makes no sense to me. I hope an autopsy is done.

"Or we could just wait and see what the investigation yields........"

Oh no we can't do that! We have to blame the EMT's even we don't know what actually happened. We have to insist they should have given the guy an IV since he asked for one and 17 year old high school kids know so much more than trained medical technicians. We have to blame the EMT's for not staying there with him and ignoring the other calls that needed to be responded to. Wait until we have all the facts? Perish the thought!

"There is responsibility a plenty here, but a 17 year old that can call 911 and tell them that he might need an IV should know how to the remove the top off a Gatorade bottle."

That was a very ignorant post.

Wow localyokal1, your comment is almost as ignorant as your username. How could you say something like that about a 17 year old? I'm sure at his foot practice there was plenty of gatorade to drink, and i'm sure he had some. Apparently gatorade cannot cure everything. Especially if the end result is death. If this was your son, would you be saying in response to his death "he should have removed the top of his gatorade bottle?" Ignorant people never cease to amaze me with comments like yours.

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