Local 911 Dispatcher Injured in Crash

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY –   Houston County Dispatcher Breanna (Bre) Morris is home recovering after a tragic ATV accident sent her to a hospital for the better part of a month, with a destroyed ankle and other serious injuries. 

A benefit was held for Morris in Trinity County to help with her medical bills. Morris is back home with family, but confined to a wheelchair for the time being, as her reconstructed ankle heals and will be able to hold her weight. As this reporter can confirm, an incident like this can leave one shattered, with financial bills from the unexpected consequences piling up each day. 

The Messenger spoke with Morris in April of this year, as we recognized the 911 dispatchers in the county who get help when and where it’s needed. Morris has been with Houston County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) since 2021, and has extensive experience working in emergency call centers. She usually worked the night shift, and served as the TAC, or Terminal Agency Coordinator. 

“The people we deal with are usually not calling to ask how our day is. They’re calling because they have something wrong. And what may not be an emergency to us, it is an emergency to them, and we still have to treat it as such,” Morris explained at the time. “I like working nights, where the call volume is sometimes a little lower, but the severity of the calls can be more elevated.”

Morris was enjoying a day off during Memorial Day weekend when she and two friends were riding in an ATV. Morris has no memory of the crash or much of her time in ICU after that, but the vehicle was almost completely destroyed as it rolled over, injuring everyone, although Morris took the brunt of it. 

Spending three days in the ICU, Morris spent another 20 days in a Woodlands hospital, suffering bruises, a neck brace and one shattered ankle, now made mostly of titanium. She said the hospital staff were amazing, although she admits she was hard to handle at times, still devastated by her situation. 

She didn’t have much of an opinion on the hospital food, as several times a day family and colleagues poured in, with hugs, flowers and tons of food. She ended up achieving her goal of dropping a few extra pounds in the hospital with little appetite – good to lose some weight, she said, but not exactly how she planned. 

Back home, she is getting used to being stuck in a wheelchair, trying to remain as independent as she always was, while acknowledging how grateful she is for the many people who have rushed to her aid. 

“I have my good days and…well, every day is a good day. I just have bad moments. I get frustrated whenever I can’t do something that I normally could,” Morris said. 

Help for Morris began the moment of the accident. The crash not only sent the passengers flying, but their phones, too. As the other two passengers came to, one stayed with Morris, giving her CPR and getting her breathing again, while the other limped back with the heavily damaged ATV to find a place to call for help. Although her two friends both had injuries of their own – including broken ribs – she knows their quick actions saved her life. 

Aside from the recovering ankle, Morris still has bruises, calluses and scars of her own. Family and friends are getting her set up, at least for the time being, the best they can. Her son is always near, helping mom get this or that, making sure she gets help but does not lose her independence. 

For Morris, the help she is receiving comes with mixed emotions, including the fundraising benefit recently held on her behalf. 

“The community has been amazing. I hate to ask for money or anything like that, because I feel like a charity case,” Morris said, becoming emotional. “I’m such an independent person. I’ve been independent since I was 17 years old.”

Anyone who has been through a similar situation can understand how it feels, to suddenly need so much help and not feel comfortable asking for it. Morris, a single mom, is anxious to get back to those 911 calls, helping people, and to the life she had before the accident. While she knows getting back to work is still months away, she takes things one day at a time, with the ups and downs that go along with such a situation. 

Morris struggled with asking for help, so The Messenger is happy to do it for her. If you would like to help, there are several ways to do so:

First National Bank of Trinity, Benefit for Breanna Morris 

Paypal. @bremorris18

Cash App, $breeannaa3

Venmo, @bremorris

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]