For those unaware, the fall detection feature in Apple’s Watch Series 4 is enabled by default only for users aged more than 65 years. This feature detects when the wearer falls, beats the wrist, sounds an alert, and displays a message on the screen. If the wearer does not respond in time, it will then automatically call for help. Dotty White, an octogenarian, was on her way home from grocery shopping when a driver ran straight into her at a busy intersection in downtown Kennebunk, Maine. “It was a nice day, I’m on my way home with lots of nice groceries and bang. I’ve never been in an accident in a car — I’ve never even gotten a ticket in a car,” Dotty said. “Apparently a woman came out of a road here and ran straight into me.” The car accident left Dotty shaken and confused and she soon realized what had happened. However, she was unable to reach her phone to call emergency services and was left thinking how she would contact the family to let them know about the car accident. That’s when her Apple Watch that registered the accident as a ‘hard fall’ triggered the device’s fall detection feature by sending messages to her family and calling the emergency services. “My watch told me ‘we have you falling on route one in Kennebunk…help is on the way’”, White said. “The watch dialed my son in Florida, it dialed my daughter in Massachusetts and my daughter in Maine. So they knew something had happened and they knew where it happened.” Both her children were instantly notified about the car accident through a text message, that helped White’s daughter rush to her mother’s aide. “It was really helpful to get that message,” James White, her son said. “I knew mom was all set at that point.” The family is pleased to know that something as simple as a watch could offer so much help in an emergency situation. “She’s always been independent, she’s happy to be in her own home,” James said. “So it’s nice for us to have this communication so that if there’s any kind of a problem we can respond very quickly.” Fortunately, the 87-year-old suffered nothing more than a few broken bones, and is now back home, resting and reflecting. She’s thankful to her Apple Watch for helping in a situation when she needed help the most. “It’s pretty nice to just have it on your wrist,” Dotty said. “You have the time, the weather and help.”
