Tenn. boy, 3, calls 911 when mom falls

The operator, Rebecca Blackstop, kept the boy on the phone while dispatching an ambulance and kept him talking

October 19, 2011 05:44 AM

Knoxville News-Sentinel

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — When a 911 operator in Clarksville received the call, she knew the person needing help was very young.

“Mommy fell down the stairs,” is how the child responded when asked what happened.

The operator, Rebecca Blackstop, kept the boy on the phone while dispatching an ambulance and kept him talking.

Medics arrived Monday afternoon to find Heide Rafferty, 25, unconscious at the foot of the stairs in her home. Three-year-old Bailey Rafferty was still holding the phone.

Heide Rafferty was taken to a hospital and later released to return home.

Clarksville Police spokesman Jim Knoll said the mother had taught the boy how to call for help.

Trauma