Bureaucracy In Action or Inaction?

A woman working as a delivery person for a pizza place was murdered in a suburb here by a customer a few weeks ago. 

To her credit she didn't trust the guy when she got there and made a call on her cell phone.

But she didn't call the cops.

She called her family lawyer instead. His office was closed but his answering service picked up.

The woman asked the service to hold on..

Here's what followed according to the Chicago Tribune:

The answering service remained on the line as [she] questioned her attacker and pleaded for her life, he [the attorney] said. At some point, [the victim] apparently held the phone up toward the attacker, but it did not have an effect on him, [the attorney] said. [The victim] was then heard being bludgeoned to death.

The service followed company policy and contacted an associate attorney for the firm, who did not listen to the message that night but said he would refer the call to [the lawyer] the next day, [the lawyer] said. The operator tried to call back [the woman's] cell phone a few minutes after the call, [the lawyer] said. Someone did answer, but made no sounds and then hung up, [he] said.

THE SERVICE FOLLOWED COMPANY POLICY? 

Well, guess what? Somebody's mother died while you listened to her being attacked on the phone, carefully following company policy.

Even more frightening,the other attorney didn't even bother listen to the message.  Is that because, according to company policy, he wasn't told that the answering service received a call that sounded like someone was being attacked?

I smell lawsuit.

I also wonder what people are thinking when they call friends, relatives, and their family attorneys instead of the police when their lives are in danger? 

The suspect has been apprehended by the way. And they're debating whether or not to go for the death penalty.