The Apple Watch is often cited for saving lives, and it saved 70-year-old Dan Pfau twice in a short span of time.
Two years ago, Pfau was riding a bicycle during a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard when he was knocked off balance by a speed bump and fell.
The Apple Watch detected the fall and automatically called the emergency services. He was unresponsive and was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital, where doctors found a mild brain hemorrhage that later healed.
Launched in 2018 with the Apple Watch Series 4, Watch’s fall detection feature utilizes device sensors to detect a hard fall. Users are alerted by haptic feedback and asked if they need emergency help. If Watch detects a user is immobile after a minute, it starts a 30-second countdown and taps its wearer on the wrist, triggering a loud alarm that intensifies in volume unless the wearer intervenes.
If the user does not turn off the alarm, the device automatically contacts emergency services with a pre-recorded message and location information.
Pfau’s Apple Watch saved him again in July when he fainted and hit his head.
The 70-year-old was able to get up again and go to the bathroom, where he fell again. Still conscious, Pfau tapped off the fall message from his Apple Watch and assumed it was a minor accident. After realizing he needed help, he used the Watch voice recorder to ask his wife for help.
The Apple Watch’s fall detection and heart monitoring feature often make headlines for helping with life-threatening situations. In July, a 25-year-old man claimed the device saved his life after a serious fall. Just a few weeks ago, Watch alerted emergency responders to a car accident involving a Missouri sheriff deputy.
For more information, read the original story in Appleinsider.
