Dundee accent stumps dispatcher

DUNDEE, Scotland, July 4 (UPI) -- A Scottish man says his daughter was born at home because a U.S.-born ambulance operator was unable to understand his Dundee accent.

"I was having to spell street names to her (on the phone), but she wasn't understanding what I was saying," Andy Ferguson told The Scotsman. "I tried to give her various different directions to find the house but I wasn't getting anywhere."

Ferguson said that the experience has convinced him Scotland must return to local dispatching for emergency services. Not only did the operator have trouble with his accent, but because she was located in Edinburgh she was unfamiliar with the area around Dundee.

Ferguson's partner, Rachel McCaw, had gone to the hospital where she was told that she was not ready to deliver and staff suggested she go home, take painkillers and have a hot bath. Shortly after McCaw arrived at her sister's house, her water broke and she went into labor.

While Ferguson was trying to provide directions on the phone, McCaw kept telling him she needed his help.

Charlotte Louise, their daughter, arrived shortly before the ambulance crew. The baby appears healthy, Ferguson said.