MEMORIAL DAY SALE: Save 15% off ALL iPhone, iPad accessories with coupon code MEM12!

Join our iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV community today! Register Here | Login

Haiti Earthquake Survivor Uses iPhone App as Survival Tool

By , Thursday, Jan 21, 2010 at 1:42 pm
24

Screen shot 2010-01-21 at 1.45.26 PM

Apple's iPhone, along with the help of a medical application, has saved at least one life in the tragic Haiti earthquake. American film maker, Dan Woolley, found himself trapped in rubble when the Haitian earthquake struck, injuring his head and leg. With no other place to turn he used his trusty iPhone along with help from a unknown first-aid medical application. The app helped him diagnose his broken foot, make a tourniquet for his leg, and described the best way to bandage his head to stop the bleeding. He even set the alarm clock to go off every 20 minutes to make sure he stayed awake and alert.

65 hours later he was rescued.

[Thanks to Robert for the tip! Via NBC Miami]

Jeremy Sikora

Forum administrator at iMore, writer, and all-around geek.

More Posts - Website

 Twitter

← Previously

iTablet to Look like Bigger, Slimmer Original iPhone 2G, Use MacBook Battery?

Next up →

Trapster Hits 4.0, Adds Patrol, New Trap Types, Caravan
  1. The Reptile says:

    TUAW had a tweet that said the app was called Pocket First Aid & CPR.

    • iphonedevro says:

      Check out this site: http://www.earthquake-survival-kit.net/

      Earthquake Survival Kit is a revolutionary iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad application that can save your life when an earthquake occurs.

      Features: Prediction - calculates the probabilities of an earthquake to occur in your area Alarm - sounds when an earthquake is detected Position SOS - send a SMS with current GPS position (iPhone only) Acoustic SOS - emits acoustic SOS signals Visual SOS - emits visual SOS signals Flashlight - obviously a flashlight Whistle - obviously a whistle Battery - shows the battery remaining time History - shows the latest earthquakes in your area Safety Tips - shows safety instructions during an earthquake First Aid - shows some first aid procedures

  2. Macman says:

    That's great to hear. But imagine if he had no cell coverage.

  3. DrModem says:

    Earthquake survival - there's an app for that.

  4. Latestarter05 says:

    65 hours on the battery. Wow! That is earth shaking.

  5. Eddy A says:

    well... I'm an iphone user and I find it hard to believe. My battery barely lasts a day with minimal use. I'd like to know if he had another phone to help him with the remaining ~50 or so hours. Oh well, iphone bashing aside, thank God at least one more person made it through this.

  6. spook† says:

    No kidding...tell him I'll trade him iPhones, mine barely goes a day before it's drained completely.

  7. icebike says:

    I'm sure the phone was OFF for nearly the entire duration, as soon as he realized there was no cell service, he just shut if off between infrequent use.

    He really needed This phone instead: http://www.flixxy.com/sumsing-turbo-3000-cellphone.htm?r=0

  8. Blake0767 says:

    I'm sure the alarm was set after the initial earthquake and used within the first few hours which would be most crucial for a head injury. Saying he was rescued 60 hours later doesn't directly mean he was using his phone for that long. Come on guys...

  9. DrModem says:

    Hey - I've used my iPod touch for periods of way over 60 hours without charging. These things last for 300 hours on standby you know.

    You can make use of standby with all the battery draining radios off, and it will last a looooooooooooong time.

  10. Orion2021 says:

    @drmodem

    yes, exactly. There have been times I have been so busy I barely have had a chance to look at let alone charge my phone. I made it into a 3rd day without needing a charge and that was with at least 30 minutes of web surfing and a handful of phone calls. The rest was on standby.

  11. Elric says:

    Heeeeey, wasn't this yesterdays news!?

  12. L says:

    I read about this in another web blog yesterday... no one seems to know the name of the app that he used. Anyways, pretty amazing!

    http://www.diverse-group.com/menu/blog.html

  13. AndyA says:

    Awesome stuff and nice media coverage for the iPhone but those roaming charges must have been up there on the rich-ter scale!

  14. High  says:

    Y didn't he just call someone. Doh!!!!

  15. Are you serious says:

    Give me a break! Iphone bashing and corny jokes? Open your eyes

  16. Barry says:

    This is onstar how can I help you? ...

    Yeh I am stuck under a collapsed building,multiple contusions and a head injury from a earthquake bodies everywhere....

  17. Clay says:

    Now, why didn't he have someone find him using the GPS and MobileMe? Seems like it might have been faster than 65 hours! Glad he's safe though.

  18. Carolinagirl843 says:

    It's confirmed...the iPhone IS a life saver  hi five Apple!

  19. Teresa Adler says:

    Yea it's good to have first aid info on hand for your iPhone. I would recommend the apps from RediVideos. They have full video displaying first aid techniques and medical emergency information for iPhone and Blackberry.

  20. Andrew says:

    We just started to donate 1$ from each purchase to Haiti victims. Thanks to all good people.

  21. Huey says:

    I finally decided to send relief for earthquake in Haiti. I hope that more people give to those devastated by Haiti's disaster as well.

  22. Each article I have read is very well written and to the point. I would also like to state, not only are the articles well written, but the design of your web-site is excellent. It was easy to navigate from article to article and locate what I was looking for with ease. Keep up the great work you are doing, and I will return many times in the near future.

Leave a Reply

Note: Comments must be civil, respectful, and on-topic. If a comment does not add to the conversation, if it contains spam advertising, or inappropriate language or content, it will be removed. Insulting the topic, author, staff, site, network, or other commenters will result in the comment being marked as spam and potential prevent future comments from appearing on the site. Do not post as a business or your comment will likely be confused with spam. Comments containing links may be held for moderation. Relax, enjoy, and share in the discussion.