Apple Crash Detection Can Save Lives
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From everything new Products I've reviewed over 15 years of writing articles for AppleInsider The Apple Watch has by far made the biggest impact on me personally. This literally saved my life a couple of weeks ago.
I am not the first person to be rescued by paramedics from a 911 call initiated by Crash Detection. There have also been complaints of emergency service workers being inconvenienced by false alert calls related to events including roller coasters where the user did not cancel the emergency call in a timely manner.
But with this new feature, I literally have a chance because Crash Detection called an emergency for me as I was unconscious and bleeding on the sidewalk, alone and late at night. Based on the calls made, I was picked up and sent to the emergency room within half an hour.
Since my accident occurred in a potentially dangerous and somewhat secluded location, I most likely would have bled to death if the call had not been made automatically.
Not just for car crashes
Apple created this feature to track evidence of a “serious motor vehicle accident” using data from its devices' gyroscopes and accelerometers, as well as other sensors and analytics that determine that an accident has occurred and that the vehicle operator may be disabled or unable to take action. call for help yourself.
More than five hours later, I was shocked at how much blood was on the back of my mattress in the emergency room— and then how much I saw on the sidewalk!
In my case there was no car. Instead, I rented a scooter, intending to quickly return to where I had parked the car.
But just a couple of blocks later, my trip was interrupted by an accident. I passed out on the side of a highway bridge.
The deep wound above my eye was bleeding heavily. I started losing a lot of blood.
I did not regain consciousness for another five hours, leaving me at the mercy of my technology and the medical professionals that Crash Detection was able to contact on my behalf.
Crash detection works as expected
Although I don't was driving a normal vehicle, the Crash Detection system determined that I had been in a serious accident and that I was unresponsive. Within 20 seconds he called 911 with my location. Thirty minutes later I was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the emergency room.
When I came to my senses, I had to ask what was going on. I first learned that my eyebrow was being stitched up and that I had various scratches on half of my face, which I apparently used to prevent myself from falling. I couldn't remember anything.
Even later, after reviewing the circumstances, I had no reason to believe that an accident had occurred. While visiting the crash site, I could only see the aftermath. There was blood everywhere, but not enough to tell what exactly had happened.
This experience was a frightening reminder of how quickly things can happen and how helpless we are in certain circumstances. Having wearable technology monitoring us and providing an extra layer of protection and emergency response is definitely one of the best features we can have in a dangerous world.
I almost always find myself in a situation where I have to make difficult decisions and figure out how to get out of difficult situations. But on those rare occasions when I've been knocked out, which has only happened a few times in my entire life, it's harder for me to realize that I'll be completely powerless in the face of any problems that might arise.
With the amount of blood I was losing, I couldn't lay there very long before I died. Losing consciousness and bleeding is also a bad combination for the threat of brain damage.
I'm grateful to live in the current future where we trust mobile devices to volunteer to save us if we fail.
Who will agree to crash detection
Last year, Apple's rollout of Crash Detection on the iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra models was ridiculed by some who worried that the number of false alerts would become a bigger problem than the few extra deaths that might occur. could have been saved with such a tool.
False alerts have been reported at ski lifts, roller coasters and other emergency responders, who have noted an increase in calls detailing an incident in which the person involved did not respond or explain that it was not, in fact, an emergency . .
Some observers at the time insisted that the collision detection system should be “aware”, similar to the fall detection feature Apple introduced on the Apple Watch to report less dramatic accidents in which people were injured over 55 years old.
However, it is impossible for the system to work only when necessary. In my situation, it would never occur to me to turn on a system that would watch me ride a scooter for several blocks. I would probably assume that riding a scooter was less risky than driving a car, even though I had no seat belts, airbags, or other safety equipment.
So I'm also especially glad that Apple isn't limiting crash detection to just car accidents!
My Apple Watch still works, but was scratched pretty badly
The fact that my watch and phone have been tracking me for over a year without incident has occurred when they literally could have swung into action to save me is entirely based on the idea that they are working in the background, not something I would have to assume. This is a correct assumption. This literally saved me.
Crash Detection is a prime example of an innovative new iOS feature update that adds enormous value to the products I already use without any serious thought on my part. It just works. And more importantly, when it happened, it saved my life.
Work through your emergency contacts
Even though you have an iPhone set to a European phone number and home address, Crash Detection “just worked” here in the United States. He dialed the correct number for where I crashed and provided me with efficient and fast assistance. Amazing.
However, after I woke up, I realized that I had two emergency contacts that also needed to be notified. My phone worked correctly, but in both cases I pointed both my partner and a family member with old phone numbers that they still don't use. This meant that Crash Detection called the police for me, but failed to notify my designated emergency contacts.
If you haven't already reviewed your emergency contact information, now might be a good time to check that everything is in order. Please note that when you update your phone number, it does not necessarily “fix” the emergency contacts you have defined.
You may have to delete and restore your desired emergency contact and its phone number since the system only calls the specific contact number you specified. It doesn't go through your contact trying every number you've ever entered for that person.
In my case, another Apple service came to the rescue. Because I shared my location with iCloud, it was easy for my partner in a different time zone to find out where I was taken using the Find My app and then call the hospital to inquire about my condition.
But if Crash Detection had not worked, I might not have survived— or it could have ended much worse: seriously injured or even robbed while he lay unconscious in a questionable location in the middle of the night.
I'm not the only AppleInsider whose life was saved by the Apple Watch, and I probably won't be the last. So thank you, Apple!
