- Ken Whitaker was playing a game of Twister with his 4-year-old grandson during a family party at his daughter’s house
- Despite being 65 years old, Ken was doing pretty well. But eventually, his son, John, and the rest of the family chimed in to remind him that it was just a game
- That’s when Ken decided to fall on purpose to let his grandson claim the victory. Not long after, the family heard a voice talking and realized it was a 9-1-1 dispatcher coming through Ken’s Apple Watch
Ken Whitaker has a competitive spirit.
So, when he was playing a game of Twister with his 4-year-old grandson at his daughter’s house during her birthday celebration, he was determined to win. Despite being 65 years old, Ken was doing pretty well. But eventually, his son, John, and the rest of the family chimed in to remind him that it was just a game.
“Eventually, we were like, ‘Hey dad, you don’t HAVE to beat your 4-year-old grandson in Twister,’ ” John, 29, recalls telling his dad at the time. That’s when Ken decided to fall on purpose to let his grandson claim the victory.
However, after Ken fell, John says the family noticed a voice that sounded like it was coming over the phone. Not long after, they realized it was a 9-1-1 dispatcher talking through Ken’s Apple Watch.
“My sister grabbed her phone and started recording him on the phone, trying to explain that he didn’t mean to call — he just had a tumble playing Twister with his family,” John, a social media specialist based in Arlington, Va., says. “The 9-1-1 dispatcher thought it was funny, according to my dad.”
“He just thought it was hilarious, probably because all of us were laughing, and that’s when he is his happiest — when everyone else is happy,” John continues, recalling his dad’s reaction in the moment.
“He activates Siri on accident on his watch all the time, I think everyone does,” he adds. “Not sure there’s any extra precaution he will take or could take. We are glad the setting on the watch is there in case he had actually fallen and was alone. We would rather call 9-1-1 when we don’t need to than not be able to when we need it.”
Later, John posted the video of his dad’s fall and conversation with 9-1-1 to TikTok, where it went viral, amassing more than 1.4 million views and hundreds of comments.
“As a 911 dispatcher… thanks for the video 😂,” one user writes.
“He’s active for his age 😂😂 Apple Watch wasn’t ready,” someone else says.
Another user writes, “Brilliant Apple Watch commercial! 👏👏👏.”
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“I stopped reading the comments after about a day. It’s very overwhelming to try to keep up with them,” John says. “Of course, there are people saying it’s irresponsible to call 9-1-1 when you didn’t need it — but it was an accident. Even 9-1-1 dispatchers were in the comments saying that calls like these ‘make their day’ and to not feel bad at all.”
“My dad isn’t embarrassed by it, he thinks the whole thing is really funny,” John adds.
Looking back at the moment, John says that if it wasn’t for how active his dad is — being a professional tennis player and tennis coach — he would have been more concerned for his fall.
“He is on his feet at least eight hours a day running around the tennis court,” John says. “He has definitely aged in the past five to 10 years, but moves around much better than other 6-ft., 4-in., 65-year-olds might. Suffice to say, we weren’t really worried.”
“I just hope people had a nice laugh,” John adds. “The world is too serious, and life is too short, so don’t forget to enjoy yourself and your loved ones.”
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