Man Dies After 911 Call Mistaken for 'Pocket Dial'

Fredericksburg, Va. — For 24 seconds last April, the 911 emergency dispatcher waited to hear something — anything.

What she got was nothing.

So she ended the call, which came from a cell phone, assuming it was a so-called "pocket dial."

Apparently, it wasn't. And three days later, 56-year-old Robert Paulus was found dead of an apparent heart attack. Seeing he had called 911, family members requested an inquiry.

"The internal investigation is still underway," Fredericksburg Police Department spokesman Sarah Kirkpatrick said Wednesday via email, adding that it won't be completed for another two weeks.

She noted that dispatchers receive approximately 4,000 pocket dials a year.

Kirkpatrick also acknowledged that protocol for handling a pocket dial differs from simple hangups. The latter requires a follow-up call.

How to differentiate between the two is unclear, and that's likely a part of the internal probe and potential reassessments.

"Part of the investigation," she said, "is a review of our protocol to see how we can make sure this does not happen in the future."