For Stewart 'Stewy' Gatt, a routine Tuesday transformed into a parent's most harrowing ordeal when a single notification revealed his teenage son was in grave danger.
A Routine Day Shattered by a Missed Call
The professional snake catcher from Wyndham Vale, Victoria, was already grappling with a sombre task, preparing to attend the funeral of a close friend. This meant he could not drive his 18-year-old son, Riley, to his workplace in Little River as he normally would. Instead, Riley arranged a lift with his best friend, the pair having packed their car for a coastal trip to Ocean Grove planned for after Riley's 2:30 pm shift.
At approximately 2:10 pm, just 500 metres from Riley's destination, their vehicle skidded off the road, rolled into a ditch, and erupted into flames. In a chilling coincidence, at the precise moment of the impact, Stewy was occupied with one of Australia's most lethal reptiles. "I was literally tailing an eastern brown snake when my phone rang," he recounted. Deeming the snake too dangerous to ignore, he let the call go to voicemail.
The Lifesaving Alert from a Parenting App
The call was from the family safety application, Life360, which Stewy had installed months prior for peace of mind. The voicemail delivered a heart-stopping message: his son's crash detection had been activated. "I rang my wife straight away... Minutes later she was hysterical," Stewy said. She had learned the horrifying details: a kangaroo had jumped onto the road, causing the car to roll and catch fire.
"All I could picture was my boy stuck in a car on fire. I couldn't get the image out of my head," the father admitted. As panic set in, a staff member from the app called again to confirm the crash and notify him that emergency services had already been dispatched—a critical factor in their rural location.
A Scene of Chaos and a Miraculous Relief
Stewy immediately raced to the scene, a 20-minute drive away. Upon arrival, his fears were magnified. "The car was completely engulfed in flames. It was one of the scariest feelings I've ever had," he described. However, through the smoke and chaos, he then saw the two boys standing safely away from the inferno. An overwhelming relief washed over him as he hugged them both, realising they were alive and miraculously unharmed.
The teenagers were taken to Geelong Hospital as a precaution and were later cleared of any serious injuries. Stewy credits the app's automatic crash detection and 24/7 emergency dispatch for the rapid response, calling it an "absolute godsend." He believes the technology was instrumental in preventing a tragedy. "To think I was so close to never seeing or speaking to him again is terrifying. It was by far the scariest day of my life," he reflected.
The shaken father now urges other families to consider similar safety tools. "The immediate response of the operator was phenomenal... I would highly recommend that everyone download the app, as it could potentially be a life saver," Stewy stated. What began as a simple tool to keep tabs on his children's whereabouts ultimately became one of the most crucial decisions of his life.
