Apple Watch immediately dials for an ambulance the moment an elderly man is hit by a car

Apple Watch Series 9 review
(Image credit: Future)

If you don’t live in the UK, you might not be completely aware of the rules of a British roundabout. They’re actually very simple — you have to go around them clockwise, no matter which way you’re going. No skipping the roundabout, you have to go round — skipping or cutting a roundabout can end up like this accident in Shropshire in the UK.

Tony Jauncey was walking through Kidderminster when he was crossing the road by a mini roundabout — and someone who evidently wasn’t entirely sure of the rules of the road cut the roundabout and hit the pensioner, sending him careening over the car bonnet. There’s CCTV footage of the whole accident thanks to the Shropshire Star — and a word of warning, even if you know that Tony makes it out ok after a trip to the hospital, it’s not a nice watch. 

Apple Watch calls an ambulance

Thankfully for Tony, his Apple Watch was at hand to help out. He was unable to do anything — “I was lying in the road, I was unable to move.” The Apple Watch, detecting his fall, immediately dialed UK emergency services, sending them a GPS location so that they could find the location of the accident without Tony having to do anything as he lay on the road.

Proving that there is still good in the world, some passing nurses helped Tony get into a comfortable position as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Tony was seen at Russell Halls Hospital nearby, where doctors treated him for his “life-changing injuries.” Suffering from a “broken collarbone, cracked ribs, and bruising on his right leg”, Tony is now on the mend.

The best Apple Watch and its litany of sensors have helped loads of people — the beginning of every Apple Watch keynote will tell you all about that. Crash Detection, Fall Detection, and Heart rate monitoring have all been instrumental in saving lives. On his experience with Apple Watch’s life-saving potential, Tony is very thankful for the automatic calling of the ambulance service, saying “The modern technology and the capabilities we have are just incredible and may have saved my life.”

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Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.