Apple Watch Comes to the Rescue of Cyclist Being Swept Away by the River

BY Mahit Huilgol

Published 27 Jan 2021

Apple watchOS 7 Features

It is not the first time Apple Watch has saved a life. This time around Apple Watch saved a cyclist from being swept away into a river. The cyclist was able to call for emergency help on Apple Watch as he was being swept into River Wye in the U.K.

The cyclist fell off his bike into the river. Luckily he managed to grab a branch after being carried downstream for a mile. Station commander Sean Bailey added, “We’re very surprised he didn’t lose his grip.” The unnamed cyclist spoke with fire control as he clung to the branch. Furthermore, he was also spotted by passers-by who helped in locating.

“Even with that location, it still took us 20 minutes to locate him and rescue him and bring him to safety.” Said the station commander. He added that “He was speaking to our fire control whilst he was clinging onto a tree, via his Apple Watch, which worked wonderfully well for us to get to him as quickly as possible.”

Many regions in the U.K. are subjected to flood warnings, and River Wye is one of them. The cyclist was swept away swiftly and carried downstream before being rescued. Apple Watch allows users to make calls via a paired iPhone. This is possible only on Apple Watch LTE variant. Additionally, the Emergency SOS feature will contact local authorities and also reach out to preset emergency contacts.

Our Take

Apple Watch is more than just a smartwatch. Features like ECG, AFiB detector, Emergency SOS, and Fall Detection has helped save several lives. Many Apple Watch users were alerted about impending health complication and were treated accordingly. In yet another case, the Emergency SOS feature on Apple Watch saved a skiers life.