I don’t know why this story amazes me as much as it does. I live in the world of technology, yet I keep getting goose bumps when I hear of new twists and turns that only the digital world provides. This is a story of a 26-year old male who works in our office in New York with a girlfriend who lives in Dallas. A few days ago, he received a text message from AT&T that his girlfriend was in an auto accident and unconscious in a hospital. She was in the passenger seat next to her friend when someone under the influence smacked directly into her side of the car.

That was all the details that were given. He immediately called her mother, no answer. Then he called an aunt, who finally got in touch with the girlfriend’s mother, and together they rushed to the hospital where she was still unconscious. She woke an hour or two later with parts of her head swollen. She was given all kinds of head trauma tests and all the results thankfully came back normal. A few days later she was back to work.

The young male told me this story via a telephone conversation while I was in Miami earlier this week. I have never heard of a carrier calling or texting someone with such private information. Of course, when he related this story to me, I told him he was crazy. How would a carrier get involved, and wasn’t it illegal to give out private information like this? What if the girlfriend was in a place where she was not supposed to be? What if she was with someone she wasn’t supposed to be with?

I asked the young male to check out how and why he had been notified by AT&T. He contacted his girlfriend and asked if his number was stored somewhere that listed, “In case of emergency.” She said “no.” After much investigation, the only conclusion they could come to was that they were on the same cell service plan. One of the paramedics or police who reported the accident must have given AT&T the girlfriend’s phone number and the carrier did a trace.

I always thought information like that was kept private but someone else recently told me that if a person is in an accident and can’t mentally function, then the first responders have the right to contact the carrier, or someone who is listed as an emergency contact. They are also allowed to dial the last number called to see if they can reach a family member or a friend.

So the moral of the story is “Don’t get caught where you are not supposed to be,” or have an emergency number clearly listed that is a safety net.