Stranded travelers in Colorado use iPhone SOS feature to call for help

Travelers from Massachusetts were able to reach Colorado emergency responders for help despite having no cell service.

Travelers from Massachusetts were able to reach Colorado emergency responders for help, despite having no cell service, using the SOS Emergency Call satellite feature on their iPhone, according to the Gilpin County Sheriff's Office.

The family was traveling in a Toyota Tacoma when it became stuck in the Miners Gulch area. Kimi McBride, the public information officer for nonprofit Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery, said their crews received the call from the Gilpin County Sheriff's Office around 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.

"They're like, 'Hey, stuck Tacoma. We don't know what's going on. We just know that people are stuck,'" McBride recalled.

The sheriff's office was short on details because the stranded travelers had no cell service and were unable to make calls. But, thanks to the SOS satellite ability on their iPhone, they were able to request help from nearby emergency responders.

"So, pro of the iPhone: we found out they needed help. Con, you don't necessarily get all the information," McBride said. "So, we weren't sure how many people were out there. We weren't sure if they had animals with them, if they had enough food, water, layers, where they were from. We didn't really know anything."