When Apple unveiled the Apple Watch 5 at its fall Keynote event, it did so with a reel of at-home testimonies about ways the Apple Watch’s health features have saved users’ lives. A New Jersey man now joins those who’ve benefited from the Apple Watch’s intuitive sensors: his called 911 after detecting he tumbled down a mountainside late at night.
ABC 7 reports 28-year-old James Prudenciano and a friend found themselves lost near the cliffs of Hartshorne Woods Park in Middletown, NJ. When they fell over a ledge towards the Navesink River, Prudenciano’s Apple Watch detected the fall and automatically dialed 911.
"I just remember hearing, '911, what's your emergency?' and my Apple Watch starting talking to me," he told ABC 7.
According to ABC 7, Prudenciano purchased an Apple Watch 4 just two days earlier. He turned on the fall detection feature–one of the Apple Watch’s numerous personal health features–while tinkering with the settings. Fall detection is normally off for younger users as Apple designed the sensor with seniors in mind.
Prudenciano’s Apple Watch also notified his mother and sister with the location of the fall. By the time they arrived, emergency services were already aiding Prudenciano and his friend.
We’ve reached out to Prudenciano for comment and will update this story upon response.
Last month a Washington man said an Apple Watch saved his father after his father suffered a head injury from a bike accident. CBS News reported Bob Burdett’s Apple Watch called 911 and notified his son, allowing EMTs to locate and help Burdett in a timely fashion.
Apple is working with health insurers to make the Apple Watch more accessible to Medicare subscribers as a health accessory. Subsidized Apple Watches are currently available for members of the private insurer Devoted Health. Aetna and John Hancock offer Apple Watches in certain plans, too.
