One woman’s quick thinking helped save her mother from a terrible situation, and she kept herself safe by pretending to order pizza while calling 911.
When things get out of hand at home, it can be hard to get help, especially from the authorities without getting noticed. This is usually the case in domestic violence — when a person is angry and their partner or loved one feels threatened and scared to set them off again.
Tiffany Urban, a 38-year-old woman from Oregon, Ohio, was a witness to something no child should ever see. Her 57-year-old mother was roughed up and abused by her live-in boyfriend, who came home drunk and was extremely violent.
Tiffany called 911 and pretended to order pizza, and when the 911 dispatcher asked if she had the wrong number, she said no.
“You called 911 to order a pizza?” the dispatcher said.
“No, no, no. You’re not understanding…,” Tifanny replied. She then proceeded to give her address and her phone number.
The dispatcher finally understood Tifanny’s distress call and played along with her ordering pizza. He also asked some yes-no questions, so as to know whether they should send an ambulance.
The dispatcher sent the officers to the address and asked them to turn off their siren before they approached. Unfortunately, Tifanny’s mother was already severely beaten by the boyfriend. The 57-year-old had been punched and pushed into a wall and had it not been for her daughter’s quick thinking, things could have turned out worse.
The officers arrested the boyfriend, Simon Ray Lopez, before he could cause more harm.
Usually, dispatchers would like to know important details about a situation before they could send help, so they don’t recommend faking something on call unless it’s the last option one has.
The good thing is that dispatchers usually have the training to listen beyond the words that people on the phone say so that they can be able to send help as soon as possible — Like in this case, where the dispatcher used his training and experience and was able to listen carefully and understand Tifanny’s distress.
As per reports, nearly 10 million men and women are physically abused by their intimate partners in the United States every year. The number is alarming, and it’s our hope that partners are able to find a better way of solving issues rather than resorting to violence.
This woman’s quick thinking and the dispatcher’s discerning nature may have saved a life that day.
