Conway-area resident has concerns over EMS response time after struggling to reach 911 dispatcher
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Ring camera footage obtained by News13 shows a concerned Conway- area resident attempting to get a hold of a 911 dispatcher while his wife was having a seizure.
Douglas Lhamon said his wife had an unexpected seizure and that it took three phone calls to get in contact. He said that was then followed by a 10-minute rescue response time.
Earlier this month, 51-year-old Marissa Lhamon was on the phone on her front porch when she collapsed and started seizing.
Right away, Douglas said he grabbed the phone from her hand and dialed 911 — not once, not twice, but three times.
Douglas said he went into “panic mode.” He said it happened just before noon on April 2. He remembered his wife’s head snapping to the right before she started shaking.
“I jump up out of the chair and made sure she wasn’t going to hurt herself and she was foaming at the mouth,” Douglas said. “She was nonfunctional, and her face just turned white. Her lips were white and she stopped breathing.”
Douglas said the first call consisted of a fax machine and dial tone.
“Nothing. And then the second time I call I get ‘the next operator will be with you.’ That’s unacceptable,” he said. “So, I hung up and called back a third time and someone finally answered, and in the background, you can hear some guy say ‘we’ve sent somebody out there three times to this address.’”
News13 reached out to Horry County police, which confirmed there is an automated system if all dispatchers are on the phone. HCPD said it’s aware of all the calls they receive and take them as they come in.
Police said the system is responsible for putting the callers’ address in, but do encourage people to stay on the line or to call again if there’s a poor signal.
“I understand they might be understaffed, but there’s enough people out there that have medical advice and could get someone else to set phones,” Douglas said. “If you go to lunch, get someone else to get your phone. 911 is a life saver — but if you’re not there, whose life are you saving?”
Horry County police said response times depend on many factors. Police said often times, rescue crews may already be on a call or heading back from one, so the next closest crew will be sent.
HCPD also told News13 that anyone is welcome to call the County or department to provide feedback.
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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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