Biker's life saved after Apple Watch detects 'hard fall' in accident and immediately calls emergency services: 'So glad he had it'
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON: A Facebook user said that he was grateful for the advanced technology of the Apple Watch as it was instrumental in saving his father's life after he had met with a biking accident earlier this month.
Gabe Burdett said that he was on his way to go mountain biking with his father, Bob Burdett, on September 15, when he suddenly received an automated emergency notification from his dad's Apple Watch that told him that latter had met with an accident.
"Last Sunday while trying to meet up with my dad for some mountain biking in Riverside State Park (MTB in RSP), I get a text from dad's Apple Watch letting me know it "detected a Hard Fall" with a map to his location," Gabe wrote in a post last week with photos of his father in the hospital and the damaged watch attached along with screenshots of the message.
Since the location mentioned in the map was not far away from where he was at the time, Gabe rushed to the spot only to find that his father was nowhere to be located. That was when he received a second notification from the Apple Watch.
"I get another update from the watch saying his location has changed with a map location of SHMC (Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital). Dad flipped his bike at the bottom of Doomsday, hit his head and was knocked out until sometime during the ambulance ride. The watch had called 911 with his location and EMS had him scooped up and to the hospital in under a 1/2 hr," Gabe wrote.
The same notifications were sent to his brother as well, who was near the hospital at the time and was able to make it to the facility without wasting time. With timely care and treatment, Gabe said Bob was able to recover well with only some soreness.
"IF YOU OWN AN APPLE WATCH, set up your HARD FALL detection—it's not just for when you fall off a roof or a ladder. Had he fallen somewhere on the High Drive trails or another remote area, the location would have clued EMS in on where to find him. Amazing technology and so glad he had it!" he advised everyone.