Time and time again, Apple Watch’s fall detection feature has been proven to be a versatile and lifesaving feature. Now, a man in Minnesota is crediting his Apple Watch with seeking help on his behalf after he was hit by a car in his own neighborhood.
As reported by CBS News, Michael Brodkorb was standing in his driveway when he heard a loud car nearby. He “took a few steps into the street” to investigate and was almost immediately struck by that car. The car, according to Brodkorb, kept driving and didn’t stop to check on him.
When he has struck by the car, Brodkorb was wearing his Apple Watch, which registered the impact as a hard fall. After he didn’t respond to the notification, the Apple Watch automatically called emergency services and texted his emergency contacts.
“Took a few steps out into the street and the car came around the corner and just hit me,” he said. “I just was shocked. I mean, just the sheer force of what it’s like to get hit by a vehicle.”
“The Apple Watch knew that I had taken a hard fall and that I wasn’t responding in a specific amount of time, so the watch called 911,” he said. “I laid there, and my family had to come out and find me. That’s a difficult scenario.”
Brodkorb, who suffered injuries to his ribs and tailbone, reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook to explain what happened. He was “not expecting a response” from Cook, but he got one. “He wished me a speedy recovery and let me know that this is why they design these types of features,” Brodkorb said of his interaction with the Apple CEO.
Eventually, police identified the driver of the car as a 17-year-old whose “family reached out to the department after the crash.” Police have “interviewed the teenager and are finishing their investigation before a charging decision can be made.”
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