What To Do If You Accidentally Dial 911

Even though, now that we all have smartphones, it happens a lot less than it used to, people do sometimes call 911 by accident.

A few years ago, as my daughters and I were walking through a big box store, I accidentally dialed 911. I had taken my phone out of my pocket to take a picture of an item I saw on a shelf. I did not realize that, when I put it back in my pocket, it hadn't locked. Once it was back in my pocket, either the emergency call button was pushed or the twitching of my leg just happened to dial 911. I thought I heard someone saying "hello" and asking if everyone was okay, but I could not tell where it was coming from. Eventually, the dispatcher hung up and then called me back. Fortunately, my phone was on and I heard the call come through. I picked it up and explained that it must have been a butt dial.

Apparently, this is a common occurrence. What are you supposed to do when it happens?

In 2020, WABI, posted an article explaining what you should do if you accidentally call 911.

First, DO NOT hang up! When that happens, dispatchers are required to call the number back to ensure there is not a real emergency.

The dispatcher will ask a series of questions to make sure there is no emergency and that the caller is in no danger.

If the dispatchers need to take time to call a hangup back it diverts their attention from answering legitimate emergency calls.

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