Racine County emergency services personnel say a distracted driver would not have survived a car accident had it not been for her Apple Watch’s crash detection feature.
The Apple Watch and the iPhone 14 have both alerted rescuers to car crashes several times over the past year, although responders in Racine County, Wisconsin say this is the first time they’ve received an Apple Watch alert.
“This was a first for us — being dispatched to an automobile crash, as a result of an Apple Watch,” Ronald Molnar, Kansasville Fire and Rescue Chief, told reporters from Fox 6 Milwaukee. “I’ll summarize it like this: If it wasn’t for that Apple Watch. I doubt that she [the driver] would have survived.”
The accident took place around 4 a.m. on Thursday, August 31, 2023, and the driver’s Apple Watch sent emergency services personnel a location of County Highway N (Downy Drive) and County Highway A (Plank Road) in the Town of Dover.
“We found the vehicle on its roof, approximately 100 feet off the paved roadway,” said Molnar.
Molnar said that because of where the car was, the “vehicle would have likely gone undetected for several hours.” It was far enough off the road that it would have been nearly impossible for passersby to have seen the wreck.
The driver, a 31-year-old woman from Waterford, was unconscious and was airlifted to Froedtert Hospital with what are described as life-threatening injuries.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident, and deputies say they believe the crash was caused by distracted driving.
(Photo Source: Kansasville Fire and Rescue)
