Belluck & Fox Represents Families of Teenage Boys Killed in New York City by Mishandled 911 Call

Belluck & Fox has been retained to represent the families of three boys who were died off the coast of New York City’s City Island. The boys, Henry Badillo, Carlo Wertenbaker and Max Guarino, were in a boat off the coast of City Island in January 2003 when they called 911 from a cell phone for help. The 911 operator failed to dispatch the New York City Police Department’s harbor unit, or notify the Coast Guard or local fire officials.

The families have sued New York City alleging that had the 911 operator acted according to Police Department policy, the harbor unit would have been able to rescue the boys. In addition, the families allege that the City failed to have cell phone location tracking even though it had been collecting a surcharge for providing that service to New York City cell phone customers.

As part of their representation, Belluck & Fox has helped the families lobby New York State for over $100 million in funding to establish cell phone tracking for 911 calls throughout New York State. The families have also launched a massive media effort to encourage cell phone consumers to tell emergency operators their exact location in order to be found by emergency personnel - unless a local police department has cell phone tracking capability, cell phone users can not be found simply by calling 911.

To read more about the case and Belluck & Fox, click here for an article from the Bronx Times.