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911 doesn't answer call for trapped woman
FOX 5 is learning about a woman who was pinned under debris from a fallen tree during last weekend's severe weather. Her husband tried to call for help when it happened, but a 911 operator didn't answer. The Atlanta Police Department has since responded to the incident.
ATLANTA - An Atlanta homeowner's heart was pounding last weekend when he discovered his wife trapped under debris and he couldn't get through to a 911 operator.
Last Sunday's severe thunderstorms caused a tree to come crashing through the roof of Justin Wiedeman's Buckhead home. His wife sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
That night was busy for emergency communications and Wiedeman told FOX 5 he was placed on a hold.
"So finally, I gave up. I was going to call a neighbor, but I couldn't call out because 911 called me back," Wiedeman said.
At the Atlanta Call Center, there's an automatic callback feature for hang-ups or abandoned calls. But, he wasn't connected to a human.
"They put me on a recording again, and I could not – I was trying to call out on my phone to somebody else, and couldn't … She's crying for help, and ,boy, that's the most debilitating feeling you will ever have in your life," he recalled.
Eventually, they were able to get ahold of neighbors who transported the wife to an area hospital.
The Atlanta Police Department researched that call and here is what authorities say took place:
"During June 26, 2023’s Public Safety Committee, Councilwoman Mary Norwood brought to our attention several concerns regarding 911 response time to an incident that occurred the day before. We researched the incident and determined the following.
"On June 25, 2023, our 911 Center received a call regarding a tree that had fallen, striking a house and a female inside. The call was originally received at 6:22 PM and, due to a large number of calls coming in around the same time, the caller was placed on hold. After 39 seconds, the caller disconnected. When that occurs, our 911 system automatically calls the caller back in an effort to place them back in line to be answered by the next available call-taker. The caller answered on the 5th callback and was placed in contact with a call-taker 19 seconds later, at 6:25 PM. At this time, the caller advises his wife was no longer trapped, but is injured. At 6:26 the call was transferred to Grady EMS’s 911 Center where our call-taker and the caller were placed on hold for approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds. At 6:29 PM, the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (AFRD) was alerted to the call. Prior to AFRD responding, they contacted the caller who advised the female had already been transported.
"This call was received during Sunday evening’s storm. During the storm, our 911 Center saw a significant increase in calls, receiving 592 calls between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM that evening. The AFRD received 30 calls related to downed trees, 10 calls related to wires down, 7 reports of elevator entrapment, 6 medical calls, a possible working fire and several lower priority calls as well. The AFRD was responding to calls as quickly as possible, but there were calls that needed to be placed into pending status.
"We understand there simply cannot be a fast enough response when a loved one needs help. Minutes can feel like hours and we can only try to relate to the stress this caller felt during this incident.
"We continue reviewing our processes and technology to ensure the best practices are in place and we are utilizing our resources in the best manner possible. We urge anyone calling 911 to remain on the line and their call will be answered as quickly as possible. Hanging up delays the process. We understand the normal response can be to hang up and call back, but it is important to remain on the line."