Mikayla rushed to the rescue.
With Tiffani Erickson lying unconscious beside her, Mikayla dialed 911 and followed a dispatcher's instructions to guide paramedics to her West Jordan home Wednesday.
"Do you know how far she fell?" dispatcher Emilee Burr asked Mikayla.
"She fell all the way down from the top," the girl responded, staying on the phone for seven minutes to keep Burr apprised of her mom's condition.
Tiffani Erickson had been experiencing headaches, dizziness and fainting spells after suffering a concussion from a snowboarding crash six weeks ago. She prepped Mikayla on what to do if Mom passed out, showing the tot how to call Grandma or Dad or run to a neighbor's.
Mikayla pressed her mother, wanting to know more. She wanted to call the police if her mom was "hurt really bad," Tiffani Erickson recalled Friday.
Geana Randall, spokeswoman for the Valley Emergency Communications Center, said it's smart to start teaching children at a young age how to respond to an emergency.
"Stay on the phone as long as you can. Answer all of the questions," she advised.
After her fall, Erickson awoke to find Mikayla rubbing her head and then paramedics coming through the door. Erickson was taken to Murray's Intermountain Medical Center and released a few hours later.
Although Mikayla didn't know her address or her phone number, Burr was able to verify the Ericksons' location because Mikayla knew her mother's first name. Mikayla also let Burr know that Tiffani was unconscious but not bleeding. The 4-year-old's call, Burr said, was remarkable not only because Mikayla is so young, but also because she stayed so calm.
"We do get calls from kids [but] a lot of them are scared and are not sure what to say," Burr said. "Mikayla did an awesome job. . . . She was probably better than some adults."
Promised a reward by her mom for the rescue, Mikayla requested only "lip gloss." (Of course, it does have to sparkle and taste like chocolate-dipped strawberries.)
"I called the cops because she was laying on the floor," Mikayla said. "I was shivering, and I was sitting by my mom. . . . I called them all by myself."
To that, Tiffani Erickson responded: "You're my hero."
rwinters@sltrib.com
* Dial 9-1-1 to save a life, report a crime or put out a fire.
* Know your phone number and your address.
* Stay on the phone with the dispatcher until he or she says it is OK to hang up.
*Answer all of the dispatcher's questions that you can.
*Keep a list of other friends or relatives to call for nonemergencies.
Mikayla: "My mom fell down the stairs."
Dispatcher Emilee Burr: "OK, do you know your address?"
Mikayla: "Um, no."
Burr: "Is she awake right now?"
Mikayla: "Her eyes are closed."
Burr: "Can she talk to you?"
Mikayla: "She talked to me for a minute. . . . She called me because she was starting to fall down the stairs. . . . Then she just fell down the stairs."
Burr: "Is she bleeding?"
Mikayla: "No, she's not bleeding."
To hear a recording of Mikayla Erickson's 911 call, go to www.sltrib.com.
