The Apple Watch was reported to have helped save the life of an elderly man who took a hard fall, and thanks to the device, police were able to successfully locate him even when he was unconscious.
It was the evening of November 28 when an 85-year-old man living all by himself in Ottawa fell while in his home. The impact gave him a head wound and knocked him unconscious. Fortunately, he was wearing an Apple Watch which detected that he fell, and after a minute passed, called 911.
An Ottawa Police Communicator received an automated message. The communicator then dispatched police to his home after she heard the man breathing and his dog barking in the background, according to an Instagram post from the Ottawa Police department.
Constable Andrew Barrett and Damian Levesque arrived on the scene shortly after being dispatched. They bandaged the man’s wounds as they waited for paramedics to arrive. The officers then called the man’s daughter, informing her that her father had fallen.
The man was taken to the hospital. Officers later learned that doctors believe the man shall be able to make a full recovery and be able to spend Christmas with his family.
The Apple Watch is often credited for saving its wearers’ lives after a fall or a cardiac event. Thanks to the Apple Watch’s fall detection, it can help connect its wearer to emergency services if needed.
In February, an Apple Watch gifted by a 58-year-old man’s wife potentially saved his life as the device showed his heart rate readings were still high even while at rest after his daily run, and thanks to this information, doctors discovered he had cardiac arrhythmia. If left untreated, arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat can sometimes lead to serious conditions, including stroke. The man then underwent a successful heart surgery.
In March, an Apple Watch was used to make a 911 call after its wearer fell into a frozen river. Firefighters were able to arrive in five minutes and were able to pull the man out.
In July, a Michigan woman said the Apple Watch saved her life by detecting she had a high heart rate – she had no idea she actually just had a silent heart attack. Upon further examination, it turned out she had a widowmaker heart attack, which was repaired with a stent procedure.
In September, a 24-year-old motorcycle rider in Singapore was knocked unconscious and brought to the hospital after a hit-and-run when his Apple Watch detected that he had taken a hard fall.