Student uses Siri to call 911 after crash lands his car in the Winnebago River

How to set up 'Hey Siri' on iPhone or iPad
How to set up 'Hey Siri' on iPhone or iPad (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • An IOWA student may have been saved by Siri after his car plunged into the icy Winnebago river.
  • Gael Salcedo's car hit a patch of ice on the road, sending him into the river.
  • Having lost his phone, he used "Hey Siri" to call 911 and locate the device before being rescued.

An Iowa student may have been saved by Siri, after using it to call 911 when his car left the road and ended up in the icy Winnebago River.

As reported by KIMT3 Gael Salcedo, 18, was driving to classes when he came across a patch of ice on the road. He lost control of his car, and whilst he managed to avoid oncoming traffic, he couldn't avoid plunging into the icy waters of the Winnebago River.

"I turned to the right and from there, everything just went blurry. I didn't know where I was going and then I just didn't know what to do. I was just thinking in my head 'I think I'm going to die"

He rolled his window down to stop his Jeep sinking, however, he had lost his phone and was unable to call for assistance.

"I lost my phone and since I couldn't find it, I was like 'Hey Siri, call 911.' And once Siri called, that's when I found my phone finally."

Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, where they found Salcedo's door pinned shut by the strong current, and rising waters. Lieutenant Craig Warner told Salcedo the only option was for him to walk out of the river, aided by the fire department:

My hands were freezing. I couldn't feel my legs anymore, so I was struggling a lot and the water was just so strong, so I kept tripping and I had the guy help me up a bunch of times and I used all my strength to get out of the water."

Salcedo was taken by Ambulance to the hospital and treated for shock, where he was released 3 hours later. If it hadn't been for his quick thinking and Siri, the outcome might well have been very different.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9

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