Cell phone fails couple in emergency

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) - In this day and age, we'd all like to believe our cell phones will connect to 911 in an emergency. But a Woonsocket woman tells us her call "could not be completed as dialed," and she believes it was the difference between life and death.

Patricia Shanahan and her fiancé , Mike, had just returned from a day at Twin River when Mike opened the car door and collapsed outside their Woonsocket apartment complex.

"I started screaming and crying and calling his name," Shanahan says. "I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and I started dialing 911 and it didn't go through. I dialed again, it didn't go through. I still can't call 911. It says something like, 'the call cannot be completed as dialed.'"

Eventually, one of Patricia's neighbors called 911 from a landline. But it was too late.

Patricia showed us the outgoing call log on her cell phone. It shows a call to 911 on Wednesday, November 23rd. Patricia says she can make other cell phone calls from the parking lot where she tried to call 911 that day. So what went wrong?

• Interactive: 911 Facts Timeline

We checked, and according to the Federal Communications Commission, there were no major service outages in Rhode Island that day. We also checked with state police at Rhode Island 's E-911 center. They tell us this was likely an isolated incident with Patricia's service provider, T-Mobile. That company declined our requests for an interview and refused to answer specific questions. Instead, they issued a statement that reads in part:

T-Mobile takes its role in the 911 emergency call system very seriously, and works quickly and diligently to address any issues. Here, T-Mobile worked immediately to resolve the 911 issue and we have confirmed that 911 service at this site continues to be fully functional.

• Read the full statement from T-Mobile

We wanted to know more, asking exactly what the issue was and how it was resolved. But T-Mobile would not give any further explanation.

We're told there's no way to tell how many calls like Patricia's fail to connect to 911, but several different agencies tell us it's rare. Still, state police say they are looking into new technology to make 911 even more efficient. Major James Pereira tell us, "currently in Rhode Island , you could not even text 911, but it is something other states are looking at right now and we anticipate in the future, it might be a possibility."

In the unlikely event this ever happens to you, police say if it's possible, you should look for the closest landline or have someone else call 911 for you.

"Most people get phones to have it just in case there's an emergency," says Patricia Shanahan. "And I wasn't able to call. It's just not right."

State police tell us if you experience connection problems with your cell phone, whether it's a dead spot or an unknown problem like Patricia's, you should contact your service provider. We did check back with Patricia a few days ago, and after all this, she is now able to call 911 from her cell phone.