Outdated Payphone Helps Lost Child Find His Way Home
What was the last time you saw a payphone? A working payphone? Don’t scoff. There’s at least one in the U.S. and it recently proved to be very useful.
According to KARE-TV, Brian Davis of Andover, Minnesota, thought it would be fun to install a payphone in his front yard and, much to his surprise, it has become very Instagrammable. Since last September, people of all ages have been stopping by to snap a pic with the pre-cellular relic. Then, one day, it became much more than a roadside attraction.
One morning, Brian spotted a young kid using the payphone. Soon there were three police cars out in front of Davis’s house with the child. “I came out and I said, ‘Did he call you?’ Davis recalls. An officer told him the boy called 911 on the phone because he was lost and didn’t know how to get home.
Police were able to reunite the boy with his grandfather and now Davis has a great story to go with his quirky, nostalgic lawn ornament. The police put out a statement saying they were glad the situation had a happy and safe resolution. The statement continues, “While the homeowner’s payphone is certainly unique and unfamiliar to some younger individuals, it did its most important job and allowed this child the ability to call for help when he needed it.”
I’m impressed that the young boy knew how to use the payphone to call 911. It just goes to show that old technology can still serve a purpose. In this case, a landline became a child’s lifeline.
