Apple’s iPhone Crash Detection feature alerted first responders to a severely injured driver earlier this month.
The accident took place on August 5th in the Grey Highlands, on Road 130 southwest of Highway 10, in Ontario.
Driver Hannah Ralph’s iPhone contacted emergency responders as well as her emergency contacts, including her friend Grace Workman-Porecki, reports AppleInsider.
“The response time was incredible,” stated Workman-Porecki.
Ralph is said to have sustained injuries including broken femurs and pelvis, cranial and cervical spine fractures, plus multiple lacerations and substantial blood loss.
She underwent successful surgery to repair several breaks in her legs while in the hospital.
“I’m telling everyone who drives in rural areas to get this [Crash Detection] technology,” said Ralph’s aunt, Dr Angela Jones of Burlington.
Ralph’s family and friends have also created a GoFundMe campaign to support her recovery from the accident and return to work.
Last month, a combination of Crash Detection and Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite on an iPhone 14 had helped to save a man who drove off a cliff in California and was bleeding from the head, by guiding rescuers to the driver.
The man’s car went over a cliff and dropped 400 feet before crashing to a halt. Back in February, the Crash Detection feature in the iPhone 14 alerted police following an accident, allowing the victims to receive help immediately.
Apple’s Crash Detection had been in the news for setting off false alerts while users were skiing or riding roller coasters. In February 2023, the company released a new iPhone update iOS 16.3.1 that included “optimizations” for the Crash Detection feature.
It’s unclear as to whether or not there’s been a significant decrease in false automatic calls to emergency services since then considering that Crash Detection was blamed for creating the same issue at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee only two months ago.
