WASHINGTON — D.C. firefighters and the Office of Unified Communications (OUC), D.C.'s 911 call center, are trying to determine why rescuers were initially dispatched to the wrong location during an emergency Thursday night.
According to OUC, someone called saying a car had crashed into the Anacostia River just after 10:30 p.m. About an hour-and-a-half later, three people were pulled out of the river, dead.
First responders were reportedly sent to the 11th Street Bridge and began searching for the car. An archive of dispatch calls shows that even after help from a Park Police helicopter was requested, rescuers radioed that they were not finding anything.
Eventually, they realize they are at the wrong location, and that the crash actually happened near the Frederick Douglas Bridge. It’s not clear if it was a mistake by the caller or the call taker at this point. It’s also not clear how long the mistake held up the rescue. But radio traffic recorded by OpenMhz.com makes it clear it was at least 16 minutes.
The medical examiner's office will identify the three victims, and determine of they died from drowning or if something else happened inside the car before it crashed into the river.
The agency claims to have used information provided by the caller and "location-determining technology" but was unable to immediately pinpoint where the car had crashed.
"We were unable to immediately pinpoint the exact location of this tragic incident," OUC said in a statement sent to WUSA9.
The mistake was first reported by former WUSA9 reporter Dave Statter on his Twitter feed @Statter911.
The agency has faced criticism over 911 delays that have led to people dying while waiting for help to arrive.
A scathing audit of OUC, released in September 2022, showed the agency had made minimal progress in resolving several issues.
In July 2022, a 1-year-old girl died as her parents waited for help after the 911 dispatcher who took the call recorded the address incorrectly in the system. The address was corrected at 2:34 a.m. in the notes section, but the dispatcher did not update the location field in the dispatch system, causing first responders to go to the wrong address.
First responders were eventually able to find the correct address and arrived to help around 2:37 a.m., more than 10 minutes after the 911 call was first received.
"I just want justice for my daughter, because I feel like if they had got here on time, she'd still be here," the child's mother Shartise Schatzman said.
In May 2022, 54-year-old Joyce Robertson passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. The ambulance that was supposed to arrive with help was sent to the wrong address.
“She told me hold on the line until they get here,” Joyce's mother Patricia Robertson said.
Turns out, while Robertson waited more than 11 minutes for help, the ambulance was sent to the wrong home. By the time medics got there, it was too late.
Earlier this month, first responders were sent to 400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW instead of 4000 Massachusetts Ave., NW for an overdose at American University.
Crews were sent to the correct address 13 minutes later – thankfully, the student survived.
After the latest addressing incident, Acting Director of OUC Heather McGaffin claimed the agency has increased training and has a plan in place for call takers who make similar mistakes.
"That call taker, and any call taker who makes a mistake in [where to send crews], there is now a very set path forward for them,” she explained.
McGaffin said that the agency has had to "release" some call takers, despite being short-staffed by 28 call takers.
“We do sometimes, we get to a point where we don't have an option, so we do take the actions that we need to take to ensure the safety of the city,” Henderson explained.