Alaska Woman Dies Waiting for Help in Freezing Temperatures; Family Blames Delayed 911 Response

In February 2026, an Alaska family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Municipality of Anchorage, alleging that their daughter, Alecia Lindsay, died after emergency services did not reach her in time.

Lindsay was found outside a home in freezing temperatures with inadequate clothing in February 2024. Despite repeated 911 calls from bystanders, an ambulance arrived over 1.5 hours later. Lindsay’s family said dispatchers failed to send emergency services in time, which caused her death.

In an interview with Alaska’s News Source, Lindsay’s father, Randy Kaer, said institutional failure led to his daughter’s death. “Somebody’s not doing their job,” he said. Kaer added that Lindsay had a bright future ahead of her. “She was an artist, and she was a very good photographer. She was very, very sweet, and we miss her,” he said.

At about 6:34 a.m. on February 8, 2024, a man called 911 and reported that a woman was sitting on the ground outside his home and knocking on his door. According to him, the woman appeared disoriented. Despite heavy snow and freezing temperatures, the dispatcher classified the incident as a disturbance, so an ambulance was not sent to the scene.

Around half an hour later, the caller’s wife once again dialled 911 and said the woman seemed to be intoxicated or experiencing a medical emergency. Anchorage police officers then finally reached the scene at 7:47 a.m. and found Lindsay unconscious. Officers called an ambulance, which arrived at 8:06 a.m., more than 90 minutes after the first call.

Lindsay was then rushed to Providence Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was 31 at the time. Her cause of death was determined as hypothermia. In their lawsuit, the family said that had the ambulance arrived sooner, their daughter could have survived.

“Alecia Lindsay passed away on Feb. 8, 2024, as a direct result of hypothermia, while lying outdoors with her bare skin on icy ground, unable to communicate, and left without timely rescue in freezing conditions despite multiple 911 calls,” the lawsuit states.

Speaking about the delay in EMS dispatch, 911 consultant Eric Harne said an ambulance should have been sent after the second call. “There is no gray area for the second call. It should have been an ambulance call at the very least,” he remarked.

Harne said the dispatcher was more concerned about the caller’s safety and failed to recognize it as a medical emergency. “You can do two things at one time. You can ensure scene safety with the caller and also send an ambulance for the patient. And that’s exactly what Ms. Lindsay was at this point. A patient,” he said.

Kaer revealed that the family got to know about Lindsay’s passing eight days after the incident. A friend called to inform them of the tragedy, leaving the family devastated. The investigation into Lindsay’s death and the family’s lawsuit currently remain active.