Mother Uses Phone Tracking App to Find Daughter Who Was Pinned Underneath Car on Side of Mountain

Mother Uses Phone Tracking App to Find Daughter Who Was Pinned Underneath Car on Side of Mountain
A person holds a cell phone in a file photo. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/GettyImages)
Zachary Stieber
6/15/2019
Updated:
6/15/2019

A North Carolina mother said that she used a phone tracking application to find her daughter after her messages and phone calls to the 17-year-old went unanswered.

Becoming worried because the girl wasn’t answering and it was past her curfew, Catrina Cramer Alexander used the Find My Friends app to locate her daughter’s phone.

“The lack of response was out of character for her,” Alexander told WFMY. The app showed that Macy Smith’s phone was in the same place for many hours, prompting her mother to drive to the location.

“I can’t explain watching the GPS on my phone with my dot for my phone getting close to hers and then suddenly seeing the tire tracks,” Alexander said. Macy was trapped underneath her car, 25 feet down the side of Pilot Mountain.

“I was lying in a ditch 20 yards off the road for the 7th hour with my arm pinned under my car. I will never forget the sound of my family calling out my name when they found me around 10:30 pm,” the daughter wrote on Facebook.

The terrible situation started over six hours earlier.

“I hydroplaned at 4:00 pm and ran in between 2 trees down an embankment, flipped my car 3 times, and landed in my back seat with my arm pinned in between the car and the ground,” Macy said.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene, freeing the girl and taking her to the hospital. Pictures showed her recovering, wearing a neck brace and a hospital gown.

Macy credited her faith for saving her.

“I held on to my bible and prayed harder than I had ever prayed before,” she said. “I do not deserve to be here right now, but God has bigger plans for me.”

“I’m so thankful for the phone calls, flowers, text messages, friends and family who surrounded me as I was found last night, and all of the visitors I have had today. I ask that everyone continues to pray for me as I will have upcoming surgeries, therapy, and struggles to face within the next couple of weeks that I am here at Brenners. I will keep everyone updated as best as I can but for now PLEASE pray for me and my family,” she added.

The teenager shared pictures of her white car, which was totaled in the crash. The front windshield was smashed in and missing much of the glass; both sides of the car sustained damage; the front-right portion of the vehicle was heavily damaged, and the backside was smashed up, with loose pieces sitting underneath.

Alexander wrote on Facebook that what happened was “a miracle.”

“And we are celebrating every minute and every milestone,” she added.

In another post, Alexander gave insight into her thoughts about the day.

“As parents, brothers, sisters, we can’t really even articulate the feelings of gratefulness, of sheer awe, of overwhelming guilt, followed by extreme joy and, all the while, perspective.... It’s a roller coaster of emotions that just repeats itself that we can’t even explain. That night...we won’t ever forget, it’s burned into our memories,” she said.

“But the love on that ridge, the love in that ravine, the love from first responders, medical personnel and the love in your texts, calls and visits will give our brave girl and our family the strength she/we need to overcome any obstacles in this earthly life. Macy’s entire family was with her during her rescue. I have no doubt that Macy’s testimony will help others in profound and meaningful ways. She is stronger because of you, WE are stronger because of HER.”