iPhone’s satellite calling and emergency response saves man's life after terrifying car crash

Late in the evening of July 21 July, a man drove his car into a four-hundred-foot ravine, totaling the vehicle and leaving him with a bleeding head wound. When the man didn't respond, his iPhone 14 detected the crash and contacted emergency services to alert them to the crash using satellite calling and GPS data to give search and rescue a good idea of where the car was.

Arriving on the scene, the Montrose rescue operations team found him shouting for help and were able to lift him out with a helicopter.

Life saver

Speaking to CBS Los Angeles, Mike Leum, one of the members of Montrose Search and Rescue, said, "I believe that if we didn't have that good location information in a timely manner, he probably would've bled out." The iPhone 14 was almost a part of the rescue team that saved the man's life; rescue team leader Steve Goldsworthy said, "Who knows when, or if, we would've located him," adding, "The location that we got from the iPhone activation was spot on, it was basically his phone on its own, calling for help on his behalf."

The iPhone and Apple Watch lines are full of life-saving tech. In this case, it was the iPhone's Crash Detection, satellite connectivity, and GPS mapping that allowed search and rescue to save the man's life. While Crash Detection has had its fair share of detractors thanks to accidental calls while iPhone users are in motion, It's also saved more lives thanks to its fast-moving emergency tech.

The Apple Watch has also saved lives, with its heart monitoring tech detecting heart diseases early in some users so that they can get medical aid that lets them lead fuller lives and ultimately live more easily with their conditions. The next iPhone, the iPhone 15, will likely have the same tech on board — and there might even be something new.