Awhile back my wife got into a minor fender bender, because she was having a low blood sugar moment. She’s a T1D, type 1 diabetic, and she’d just started on a new insulin pump and it wasn’t calibrated correctly.
The police who responded to the accident called me. Fortunately we live only a mile from where the incident was, so I went there right away. All ended up well, but, how did they know how to call me?
Can they get into my wife’s phone, even though it’s password protected?
Could they look up her phone contacts for those she labeled with “ICE” (in case of emergency)? [I didn’t think people really did that, but, it turns out that she does]
Do they have access to databases that link her identity to me in some manner (e.g., through house title or utility bills / other)?
Do the police have access to this information?
I’m glad they contacted me, however they did it, and I was there in less than five minutes.
(and, 2 FQ threads in one day - that’s not like me!)
Is her phone connected to the car via Bluetooth? They may have been able to browse her contacts through the car’s infotainment system. Although, they’d still have to know which contact was you.
My phone (Samsung Android) has a group for contacts labeled Emergency Contacts. Any contacts that are added to this group are accessible from the lock screen when you click on ‘Emergency call’
There is also a ‘Medical Info’ button on the same screen. If you click on that, it lets you know my blood type. (If you take my phone’s word for it that is)
On an Android phone you can setup emergency contacts (more than one if you want) which can be accessed from the lock screen of a cell phone without unlocking it.
The police have access to a bunch of databases that the general public doesn’t have access to. It’s a pretty good bet that your name is linked to your wife’s name in at least a couple of them.
Was the OP’s wife concious? Couldn’t they just have asked her? Many times at an accident or medical scene we ask the subject if there is anyone they want us to contact for them. Many times they are upset or shaken and feel better about us making the call.
The “authorities” would have many different ways they could find your contact info if they really, really needed to. But in this case it may have simply been her being examined by a paramedic, triggering somewhere a deep corporate paranoia of collecting their fees, which leads to the emergency contact on her health insurance.
I wear dog tags that link me with my husband’s military file via a DEERs number [I have my deers number actually memorized. sigh.] I also have the same information on a ‘body tag’ or tattoo of my dog tag - it lists diabetes, high bp and rare blood type, also my allergy to several drugs. As a joke, one of my oncology infusion techs would grab my foot and look at my ankle body tag [and still ask me my ID =) ]
Thank you for all the answers. I’ll reply here in order of the replies, but not with your names.
They could have looked through her purse. I didn’t think of that. Wish I’d thought to ask the policemen who responded and cared for her.
Registration. Good point. Our cars are registered to both of us. Bullitt or Mrs Bullitt. They could’ve gotten my name from there. If they did, the reg wasn’t out when I arrived on scene.
Bluetooth in her car — yes. We share the same last name but so too do the kids. They weren’t called.
I’ll check her phone to see if ICE can display.
They did not call our land line. They called my cell.
I’ll check her phone to see if Emergency contacts can be displayed without unlocking.
Yes they could run the plates. Also as I said earlier, I’m on the registration. They would’ve gotten my name, and maybe my number as a an emergency contact on her phone.
Yes she has a medical alert bracelet. Maybe they looked at that. They didn’t say and I didn’t ask.
She was conscious but not fully alert. Again, low blood sugar. She might have been able to answer questions.
Dog tag — she wears a medic alert bracelet. She’s never been in the military, but funny you mention that because I wear my old dog tags for identification purposes, if I’m incapacitated in any way. It’s the old dog tags. I was in 1980-1993, so it has my SSN on it, with my name and other basic info.
So yeah, in the end there are many ways they could get to my name, and then my number. I didn’t think of these ways. My mind went immediately to their having access to extensive databases which, in the end, they might not have that. When I see a police officer I’ll ask him/her.
