Dallas Accident Victim Hit by Car After Giving Up on 911

Our Texas injury attorneys advise accident victims to call 911 if they are ever injured in a Dallas car accident. But what do you do if 911 does not answer?

On September 8, 2012, Kelvin Crowe of Dallas was driving on the 5900 block of Julius Schepps Freeway.  It was about 11:40 p.m. when Crowe’s tire blew out. As he was pulling over to the side of the road, another car rear-ended his vehicle. Crowe’s fiancée was injured.
At 11:48, 11:49, 11:54, and 11:58, Crowe made a series of calls to 911, but none of his calls were answered. Three calls resulted in a busy signal. The last call gave a message, “All other operators are busy assisting other callers. Hold for the next available operator.” Crowe held for a few minutes, but when the phone made a strange noise, he hung up. According to the Dallas 911 call center, the calls were not received.
Crowe gave up and exited his vehicle to try to flag down some help. But, before he could get help, he was hit by a car. Crowe sustained a broken arm, a bruised leg, and injuries to his eye.
The City of Dallas said it is not at fault for the injuries. They blame T-Mobile. They claim the phone signal went to the T-Mobile tower, but did not reach 911.
When they work, cell phones are a convenient way to call for help after a Dallas highway accident.  However, there are some challenges. Not only must there be a signal, but the 911 system was designed to work with landline phones rather than cell phones. When you call 911 from your cell, you must give the operator your location. The operator will alert the appropriate dispatch center.