Fall detection on Apple Watch Series 4 (and now Series 5) has been credited with saving lives all over the world in the year since the feature was introduced. The latest real-world story is a great example of why people of all ages should consider turning on the feature.
Gabe Burdett shared his family’s experience in a Facebook post on Friday morning — a story that has quickly gone viral with nearly 200,000 shares and counting.
Gabe and his father Bob had plans to mountain bike together last weekend, but Gabe’s dad experienced a bad fall while biking before his son arrived. A text message automatically sent to his iPhone from his dad’s Apple Watch notified him about the accident.
Apple Watch Series 4 and later include a built-in fall detection feature. It’s turned off by default if you’re under 65, but anyone can turn it on from the Watch app on the iPhone.
The feature works by intelligently detecting when a sudden fall occurs, automatically calling emergency services if the person doesn’t dismiss the alert within one minute of falling. If the person’s emergency contact information is filled out, that contact will be notified with a text message and a map of the watch’s location at the time of the fall.
That’s exactly what happened when Gabe’s father fell while wearing his Apple Watch. The feature worked exactly as intended, and Gabe’s dad was located and driven to the hospital before he had time to arrive at the site of the fall.
The Apple Watch even played a role in helping Gabe’s brother Casey arrive at the hospital when his dad arrived.
As for his father, Gabe says he’s doing okay after the experience — one that could have been much scarier without the Apple Watch serving as an intelligent health guardian.
Hopefully a brand new Apple Watch Series 5 is already on the way from Apple Park for Gabe’s dad. His story is certainly an amazing example of the Apple Watch at its best — and a reminder that the invisible Apple Watch feature can be there all along.
More Fall Detection Stories:
- Apple Watch fall detection and SOS features credited with saving mother of three after seizure
- Apple Watch fall detection sent emergency services to the aid of an 80-year-old woman
- Apple Watch fall detection helps 87-year-old woman call emergency services after car accident
- Apple Watch and fall detection credited with saving man in Sweden with acute back pain
- Apple Watch fall detection credited with saving user in Norway after severe overnight fall
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