I had the chance to use my cellular phone to dial 911 recently.
It didn’t work.
On our way home from a recent visit with relatives in North Dakota, my husband was driving on the interstate between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Denver, when the Ford Bronco immediately in front of us lost control and rolled over into the ditch.
While my husband raced to see if the people in the Bronco were injured, I grabbed my cellular phone and called 911. As I waited for the call to connect, my mind raced with thoughts that if and when E911 service is ever implemented, I wouldn’t have to guess how far outside of Cheyenne we were. And in what I thought was a morbid moment, I just justified the purchase of my phone for the rest of my life, if my call could get help to the people in the Bronco.
But the call never connected.
Did I press the “send” button?
Perhaps in my haste, I hadn’t. I started to redial, but noticed a man in front of our car who obviously was dialing 911 with his cellular phone. I put my phone down, puzzled about why I hadn’t connected, grabbed the baby and went to see if I could be of any help.
The couple in the Bronco were fine. The young driver had reached down to grab a drink of her Snapple, when she swerved and then over-corrected, ultimately ending up upside down in the ditch. But fortunately, both people were wearing seatbelts.
The man who I thought had called 911 from his portable cell phone couldn’t get his phone to connect, either. A third person, who called from a transportable cellular phone, had actually placed the 911 call. He evidently had no trouble getting through.
As we left the accident, I called home to Denver to see if my phone was working. Sure enough, I connected immediately to my answering machine. There was coverage on the interstate.
What happened? Were the man and I who tried to place the 911 calls on our portables just in a bad coverage area? Should we have moved three feet to the right? Certainly, I pressed the “send” button. Sure, I was a bit panicked seeing the vehicle in front of us roll, but I knew I was going to speak calmly to the dispatcher to try to explain where we were. I had the presence of mind to press the “send” button.
Two thoughts on this experience: Those phones that come with the red 911 button suddenly make more sense to me. I wouldn’t have needed to press the “send” button. More importantly, either manufacturers or carriers should highlight in their promotional/informational material to customers detailed information about how to place a 911 call so it pops into the mind of the user when he/she actually is placing the distress call. (If the call does not connect, walk 10 feet to a different place and try again).
The good news is three people at the scene of the accident had cellular phones to get help. The .bad news is only one call connected.
