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'It was just continuously ringing'| Neighbors question DC's 911 response following deadly crash

Jessica Luna Sanchez, 24, died after the car she was riding in crashed into a tree in the 3300 block of 16th Street NW.

WASHINGTON — Residents in Northwest D.C. are criticizing the Office of Unified Communication's (OUC) response to a fiery crash after they allege they were placed on hold while calling 911.

DC Police say that on Saturday night just before 10:30 p.m. a Subaru crashed into a tree on 16th Street NW near Monroe Street NW. Investigators say it appears that the driver of the Subaru lost control of the car while speeding and trying to pass a BMW. The Subaru struck the front of the BMW and ended up crashing into the tree. 

"There was a smashed car, pretty much in the middle of the road. It was on fire," Adrian Spencer-Smith told WUSA9. He says he heard the crash from his 10th-floor apartment and immediately called 911.

Spencer-Smith says at least a dozen good Samaritans stepped in to help the people inside the Subaru. 

The passenger in the Subaru suffered severe injuries and ultimately died in the crash, according to police. She was later identified as 24-year-old Jessica Luna Sanchez of Northwest D.C. 

Investigators say the driver of the Subaru was transported to an area hospital by DC Fire and EMS for injuries considered non-life threatening. The people inside the BMW were not injured.

The incident is still under investigation, according to DC Police. 

Several neighbors at the Park Monroe Apartments told WUSA9 that they were placed on hold when they called 911. 

"It was just continuously ringing with the automated voice message of, 'this is DC 911 please don't hang up,'" Spencer-Smith said. 

After being on hold for what Spencer-Smith said was about five minutes, he hung up and focused on helping a nurse who stepped in to aid Luna Sanchez. 

"She immediately asked for an AED because the woman, she had gone into cardiac arrest. So, our building doesn't have those because it's not large enough in capacity, but of course, they're on ambulances," he added.

OUC says they received close to 300 calls in an hour, many related to the crash that occurred in the 3300 block of 16th Street, NW. 

The D.C. agency provided the following timeline: 

  • The first 9-1-1 call was received at 10:27:40 p.m.
  • Fire and EMS and D.C. Police were dispatched 13 seconds after the initial 9-1-1 call
  • The first police officer arrived 13 seconds later at 10:27:53 p.m.
  • The first Fire and EMS unit arrived at 10:32:59 p.m. which is five minutes and six seconds from when they were dispatched

Neighbors at the Park Monroe Apartments say they called before 10:27 p.m.

Spencer-Smith says he also questions the response time when the nearest fire station is 0.3 miles away. 

"That's always the question that I'll sort of have. What early intervention could have played a role if things could have gone different," he added. 

OUC says they urge callers to remain on the line until their calls are answered. Calls are answered in the order in which they are received. 

The deadly crash is the second recent incident involving OUC that is being called into question. Dispatch audio indicates that on Sunday afternoon, firefighters were dispatched to the wrong location during a house fire call.

Firefighters went to 1704 R Street NW, when the correct address of the building on fire was 1704 R Street SE. 

"We waited for maybe it was like 10 minutes? No one showed up," the man who lives in the house told WUSA9. He did not want to be identified but he says the fire started in a bedroom near a bed frame.

In a statement, Director Heather McGaffin said, "This weekend, the caller did not initially identify a quadrant and Fire and EMS was dispatched to two quadrants. OUC is committed to being transparent about how we critically evaluate performance to understand root causes, integrate best practices, and quickly implement changes to ensure accuracy of dispatch."

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