Apple Watch Series 8 crash detection saved someone’s life

The crash detection feature on the Apple Watch Series 8 passed the test with flying colors — it saved a man’s life by automatically calling 911 when his car crashed into a utility pole.

Nolan Abel of Indianapolis told ABC News he crashed into a telephone pole when he lost control of his car at 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 15. As he sat in his chair, fighting to stay alive, he said he felt haptic feedback on his wrist and heard a voice from the watch asking him if he was there. When he did not respond in time, the watch alerted first responders who quickly arrived at his location.

“If it wasn’t for that watch, who knows how long it would have taken help to get to me,” Abel said. “Someone was going to find me eventually, but it sent EMS to me within five minutes.”

Abel said he bought an Apple Watch Series 8 from Best Buy on a whim a week before the accident. He had no rhyme or reason to buying the watch, but said, “Something just told me to get it.” That impulse purchase turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

APPLE WATCH SAVES LIFE: A man has admitted his Apple Watch saved his life by automatically contacting emergency services after he crashed his car into a pole. ABC’s Rhiannon Ally reports. pic.twitter.com/WRvfaU07LF

— ABC World News Now (@abcWNN) October 28, 2022

Apple introduced car crash detection to the Apple Watch Series 8 as part of the watchOS 9 software update in September. The feature is also used in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, as well as in the Apple Watch Ultra. It detects all kinds of serious car crashes you might never want to be in: rear-end collisions, side impacts, rollovers and head-on crashes like Abell’s, and gives users 20 seconds to respond to the SOS before it call EMS their name.

The crash detection feature was a bit buggy at first, when some iPhone 14 owners reported their phones triggered 911 calls while riding roller coasters.

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