Apple Watch helps save elderly man who has fallen in freezing temperature
In the small town of Morrow, USA, an Apple Watch is being considered a municipal hero by its seven thousand inhabitants. According to local broadcaster CBS46 News Atlanta, the device was able to detect the fall of an elderly resident and alert a team from the Clayton County Emergency Communications Center, who immediately called the local fire department.
The incident took place on the morning of January 23 and, according to Morrow Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Moss, the citizen fell while walking outside his property. His smartwatch was able to detect the fall and, as it did not receive any manifestation from the user indicating that he was fine, it initiated automatic dialing for the emergency services.
Speaking to CBS46, Chief Moss stated that his team “arrived on the scene with Morrow Police units and quickly realized that the physical address was not where the victim was located, and began a perimeter search.” That’s when it came into the picture. the Apple Watch engine, whose GPS allowed tracking the resident’s location address.
How was the rescue of the elderly guided by the Apple Watch?
According to firefighters, the elderly man was found near some bushes, 12 minutes after the call recorded by the Apple Watch. The man was in a semi-conscious state, confused and extremely cold, as the temperature in Morrow that Sunday morning was below freezing.
The victim was immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where he received treatment and was later released. Paramedics told the broadcaster that the extreme cold is classified as a “continuous unspecified medical condition”, meaning that the outcome of the incident could have been “undoubtedly” worse had the Apple Watch not triggered the emergency.
