OTTAWA, Mich. — An Ottawa County three-year-old's call to 9-1-1 may be the cutest that dispatcher has ever received but it's created a learning lesson for parents everywhere.
Landon Hendrix was able to make an emergency call through an Apple Watch his parents thought was disconnected. It was given to him as a toy and while it is not tracking his workouts, it is more connected than they intended.
When he crawled into his younger brother's crib Monday night, he unknowingly brought a third person with him: a 911 dispatcher.
The three of them went back and forth for several minutes as the dispatcher asked to speak with his mommy. When Landon told her he couldn't get out to get his mommy the dispatcher had to think outside the crib.
They went back and forth for several minutes when Landon told her he couldn't get out to get his mommy the dispatcher had to think outside the crib.
"You're in the crib?" the dispatcher could be heard asking. "I want you to yell really loud. Do you yell really loud?"
Meanwhile, Landon's mom, Andrea, happened to check in on the monitor and hear the stranger's voice. She sent her husband up to resolve the situation.
In January alone -- Ottawa County Central Dispatch answered more than 900 calls like this or when someone just hung up.
"They'll try to communicate with the child that their level their understanding, walk them through some instructions and steps to perhaps get a parent to the phone," said Chris Karish, Communication Supervisor. "So we can just confirm that there is not an emergency."
They hope to use this cute, innocent mistake as a learning experience.
"Any cellular device, whether activated or deactivated will still call 911," Karish explained. "As long as there is a battery charge on that cellular device, it will place a call to 911."
