Nevada man thanks Siri for surviving serious Jeep crash

A man who crashed his Jeep near Pahrump, Nev., credits Siri on his iPhone for saving him from paralyzing and potentially fatal injuries.

The Jeep flipped into a dry lake bed, Nate Felix told KSNV, paralyzing most of his body to the point that he couldn't raise his head. Though his dog helped keep him warm, Felix began to worry that he wouldn't survive the night — Pahrump is a desert town, and temperatures can get dangerously cold during winter nights.

He then realized he could make a call through Siri, and tried several contacts. None of these worked until he said, "Hey Siri, call 911," which finally put him in touch with emergency services. iPhones are designed to call emergency services even without activation or when roaming on different networks.

Responders pried open the Jeep's door to pull Felix out, bringing him to a hospital where he spent four days. Doctors discovered he had broken two vertebrae with nerve endings for his arms and hands. Though he's currently restricted to a wheelchair, he's hoping to recover.

Apple regularly promotes the accessibility features of the iPhone for the disabled. One recent example is the case of Scott Leason, a blind U.S. Navy veteran who uses his iPhone XR's VoiceOver feature to prepare for daily surfing lessons.

25 Comments

king editor the grate 662 comments · 15 Years

About 5 years ago

"Thank you, Siri."

"I can search for 'Thank you, Siri' on your iPhone."

22july2013 3722 comments · 11 Years

AppleInsider said:

iPhones are designed to call emergency services even without activation or when roaming on different networks.

Huh? All cellphones ever built can call 911 without activation or when roaming on different networks. iPhones are nothing special.

It's why we pay a 911 tax (at least in Canada, I'm not sure about you in the US.) The 911 call is routed through Bell Canada's network (ie, here in Canada, I'm not sure who carries it in the US) I once read. So Bell should be getting some of that 911 tax money in compensation for carrying those emergency calls.

jdw 1440 comments · 18 Years

A truly heartwarming story, and sadly one of the few things SIRI can do correctly.

bells 140 comments · 8 Years

jdw said:

A truly heartwarming story, and sadly one of the few things SIRI can do correctly.

You are just a hater. I just bought a home pod and I was expecting to hate siri based on what people like you say, but she is even more awesome than on the iPhone. First, she understands me incredibly well, from quite a distant further than my iPhone, and she can do quite a bit. Set a timer, make a phone call, tell me just about everything about famous people, countries, companies, etc. She can tell me what is playing at the movies, where the closet pizza place is, what the best pizza place is based on reviews, etc. Honestly, I find new things everyday she can do.Tell me about my day, jokes, the weather, the list goes on and on.

MacPro 19837 comments · 18 Years

22july2013 said:

AppleInsider said:

iPhones are designed to call emergency services even without activation or when roaming on different networks.

Huh? All cellphones ever built can call 911 without activation or when roaming on different networks. iPhones are nothing special.

It's why we pay a 911 tax (at least in Canada, I'm not sure about you in the US.) The 911 call is routed through Bell Canada's network (ie, here in Canada, I'm not sure who carries it in the US) I once read. So Bell should be getting some of that 911 tax money in compensation for carrying those emergency calls.

Before Apple introduced Siri and the others copied, how exactly would you, if paralyzed, call 911?