William Gallagher
In the middle of the US east coast cold snap, emergency services saved an unconscious man in Morrow, Georgia, after his Apple Watch detected a fall and alerted local authorities.
Apple's latest ads for the Apple Watch Series 7 have concentrated on how the device can automatically call for help in emergencies. Now yet another example of this feature saving a life has been reported in the City of Morrow, Clayton County, Georgia.
According to local CB546 News Atlanta, an elderly resident fell while outside his property on January 23, 2022. His Watch detected the fall and, when he failed to respond that he was okay, alerted the Clayton County Emergency Communications Center.
"Since an Apple Watch initiated the call, the location of the call could only be determined by the watch's GPS, which reported the closest address," said
City of Morrow Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeff Moss. "The Morrow Fire Department crew arrived on the scene with Morrow Police units and quickly noticed that the physical address was not where the patient was located and began a search of the perimeter."
The man was found nearby, reportedly in a semi-conscious, confused and extremely cold state. The total time between his Apple Watch calling for help and the man being found was 12 minutes.
He was taken to hospital for treatment and later released. According to emergency services, the extreme cold and an unspecified ongoing medical condition mean that the outcome could have "undoubtedly" been worse, without the Apple Watch.
This January 2022 is only the latest of very many similar incidents, including one from November 2021, where an 85-year-old's life was saved in Ottawa.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
3 Comments
It befuddles me why people insist: "Oh, I don't need one of those things. I'll be fine!"
This undoubtedly shortened his hospital stay and probably kept him out of the ICU at a minimum, probably would have been a fatal event if he was unconscious in the cold for an extended period of time at his age.
I wonder if anyone will claim how the Apple Watch was instrumental in saving this man's life.