Email Exposes Significant Delays to Deadly Tulsa, OK, Vehicle Crash

After two open records requests and intervention from the state Attorney General’s Office, the city has released an internal Fire Department email questioning 911’s handling of calls related to the Feb. 13, 2025, car crash that left two Holland Hall students dead.

The email describes the approximately 43-minute period immediately after the accident in which first responders were hampered by incorrect information and information never received, resulting in confusion and missed opportunities to reach the girls sooner.

Mollie Buffington, 17, and Claire Amelia Esmond, 16, both juniors, died at the scene when the Tesla SUV they were passengers in veered off Riverside Parkway just north of 91st Street and slid approximately 200 feet before plunging into Joe Creek.

The driver, also a Holland Hall student, survived.

The email, from a TFD captain, was sent on a Saturday morning, 16 days later.

Timeline

After reviewing the incident CAD (computer-aided dispatch) report, the captain wrote to a supervisor, “I have identified some concerning issues that need to be brought to (the) your attention.”

“First, Tulsa Fire was not dispatched to the incident until 24 minutes after the initial 911 call to TPD,” the email continues. "... Second, several TPD CAD notes were entered before TFD was dispatched that should have triggered alerts for Fire and EMS.”

The TPD crash report put the time of collision at 9:42 p.m. 911 was first notified of the accident at 9:43 p.m., according to the 911 call log, and police were dispatched at 9:45 p.m. The first officer arrived at the scene at 9:50 p.m.

In his email, the TFD captain describes the “concerning issues” that occurred in the first minutes after 911 was contacted as follows:

"21:45:10 p.m. — TPD call taker heard crying on the phone.

"21:45:49 p.m. — Second caller reported a Tesla went off the road by the river.

"21:48:22 p.m. — Automatic vehicle phone call detected crying and groaning, as if they’re in pain (indicating potential injuries). The individual was unresponsive to the LAW Call Taker (LCT)."

It was not until 911 received a “report of a rollover into a deep creek, vehicle flat on its top,” at 10:07:41 p.m., that the Fire Department was dispatched, the email states. At 10:07:44, the call was upgraded from a possible injury collision to injury crash by police, according to the Incident Detail Report provided by the city.

“This incident met the criteria for a Rescue Task Force (RTF) activation, yet RTF was not dispatched until E29 (Engine 29) arrived, assessed the scene, and requested RTF at 22:15:48. RTF arrived at 22:26:53,” the captain wrote.

Approximately 43 minutes had passed between the time 911 was notified of the crash and the TFD equipment and expertise typically dispatched for such a serious crash arrived.

Tulsa police have acknowledged that the first officer on the scene had difficulty finding the vehicle and that a police helicopter was used to help in the search.

“It took them a bit to find the crash,” TPD Capt. Richard Meulenberg told the Tulsa World after the crash. “In this particular tragic circumstance, they weren’t on the roadway, they were off the roadway. So it took a little bit for officers to find that location, and once they did, they started (requesting responders from) EMSA and Fire.”

The Fire Department captain’s email provides more context.

“Prior to this email, I spoke with one of the responding firefighters,” the captain wrote. “He stated that the first TPD officer on the scene had difficulty locating the vehicle, as they were initially directed to the west side of Riverside (vehicle was located on the east side of Riverside and just north of the creek).

“He subsequently requested additional officers and assistance from Police 1 (TPD helicopter).”

The email also notes that the longitude and latitude coordinates “that accurately pinpoint the vehicle's location” were the first pieces of information generated by the CAD system. Less than four minutes later, according to the email, dispatch was notified that the caller would be "in a white BMW with flashers on.”

The TFD captain ends his email by writing that the delays in response “raise significant concerns” regarding 911 dispatch procedures and coordination among responding agencies.

“To gain a clearer understanding of how this call unfolded, I recommend requesting not only the TFD audio but also the TPD 911 calls and radio traffic,” the captain wrote.

City response

After the accident, police declined an open records request from the Tulsa World seeking 911 calls for service from the public or from automated devices, such as cellphones or the vehicle’s crash alert system, that might have been activated at the time of the crash.

Meulenberg said at the time that it was the city’s determination that call logs, as outlined under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, “are those which are dispatched to officers.”

At about the same time, the Tulsa World asked Fire Chief Michael Baker if the Fire Department planned to do an assessment of the emergency medical response to the crash.

“That’s a TPD thing, and we really, you know, I’ve been leaving it up to them,” Baker said.

Asked whether anyone in the city was doing an assessment of the response to the crash, Baker said he did not know.

The city on Friday did not respond directly when asked whether it had conducted an investigation into the emergency medical response to the accident but said it constantly evaluates its dispatch system to ensure an accurate and timely response to calls.

"Over the past year, enhancements such as the integration between 911 and COPES have helped divert thousands of non-emergency calls, allowing dispatchers to focus more attention on emergency calls," the city said in an email. "Additionally, the Fire Department and management at the 911 Center established an internal standing policy and procedures meeting in 2025 to address trends and emerging needs.

"These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to ensuring that Tulsa residents receive timely, efficient, and appropriate emergency services.

Records denied

Over the past year, the city of Tulsa, and the Police and Fire departments, fulfilled several Tulsa World open records requests related to the crash. In July and December, however, requests for emails and attachments between firefighters related to the crash turned up no records.

In each instance, the city responded by saying there were no records responsive to the request.

In February, the Tulsa World filed a complaint with the public access officer at the state Attorney General's Office alleging the city had improperly withheld the records requested by the Tulsa World in December.

Last month, Assistant Attorney General Anthony Sykes sent a letter of advisement to the city stating that the records requested are records as defined by the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

"As such, they must 'be open to any person' unless otherwise exempt by virtue of another provision of the ORA or other law," Sykes wrote.

The city on Friday noted the tragic nature of the accident and said it acted promptly to release the records after receiving guidance from the AG's Office.

"In this case, the city carefully reviewed the request and the nature of the information involved — including the sensitive and tragic nature of the incident," the city said in an email. "While the requested data is not typically released due to the systems it originates from, it was ultimately determined, following guidance from the Attorney General’s Office, that specific information was subject to disclosure based on the originator."

What now?

The crash occurred at a time of growing concerns — and public discussion — regarding the city's 911 system. In January 2025, the Tulsa World reported on concerns about 911 response times raised by the City Council’s Pre-Hospital Community Healthcare Working Group.

In February of 2025, shortly before the Holland Hall crash, the local firefighters' union conducted a survey of its members that found that less than 30% of respondents believed that the city's 911 system was doing an excellent or good job of supporting Fire Department first responders, and 60% of respondents thought dispatch delays or errors had frequently or occasionally had a negative effect on patients’ outcomes.

In May 2025, the city announced it was issuing a long-awaited request for proposals for a consultant to study the city's pre-hospitalization system, including 911.

"A consultant has been selected to take a comprehensive look at our EMS system and we are working to get them fully integrated by the end of the year," the city said.

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