For Stewart 'Stewy' Gatt, a professional snake catcher and father-of-two from Wyndham Vale, Victoria, a routine Tuesday transformed into the most harrowing day of his life. What began with mundane jobs and the sombre task of attending a friend's funeral escalated into a parent's ultimate fear when his teenage son was involved in a serious car accident.
A Routine Day Shattered by a Missed Call
On the afternoon of the incident, Stewy was unable to drive his 18-year-old son, Riley, to his workplace in Little River as usual. Instead, Riley arranged a lift with his best friend, with plans for a coastal trip to Ocean Grove immediately after his shift starting at 2:30pm. At approximately 2:10pm, just 500 metres from Riley's destination, their car skidded off the road, rolled into a ditch, and burst into flames.
At that precise moment, Stewy was professionally engaged, tailing a highly venomous eastern brown snake inside a school building. His phone rang, but dealing with one of the world's most dangerous reptiles meant he couldn't answer. The call was from the family safety application, Life360.
The Lifesaving Alert and Race to the Scene
The app left an urgent voicemail stating his son's crash detection had been activated. "I rang my wife straight away... Minutes later she was hysterical," Stewy recalled. She relayed the terrifying news: a kangaroo had caused the accident, the car had rolled, landed on its roof, and was on fire.
Panic set in as Stewy pictured his son trapped in the burning vehicle. A follow-up call from a Life360 staff member confirmed emergency services had already been dispatched to the rural location. Without hesitation, Stewy jumped in his car and raced the 20 minutes to the scene.
A Miraculous Outcome and a Father's Relief
Arriving at the crash site, the scene was more horrific than he had imagined. "The car was completely engulfed in flames. It was one of the scariest feelings I've ever had," he said. Then, through the smoke and chaos, he saw both boys standing safely away from the wreckage.
An overwhelming sense of relief washed over him as he hugged his son and his friend. The teenagers were taken to Geelong Hospital as a precaution and were later miraculously cleared of any serious injuries. Stewy credits the app's automatic crash detection and its 24/7 emergency dispatch service for the rapid response, calling it an "absolute godsend."
Reflecting on the ordeal, Stewy stated, "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 now passionately advocates for the software, which also allows location tracking of family and personal items, urging everyone to consider it a potential lifesaver.
