An Apple Watch automatically dialed 911 after a car slammed into a palm tree off Interstate 15 in Rancho Cucamonga Tuesday morning.
KNX News’ Pete Demetriou spoke to California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez, who said the technology also sent out a GPS location that helped responding units get to the scene.
“One of the involved parties inside the vehicles, iPhone or Apple Watch contacted our dispatch center advising that they had been involved in a crash using the crash detection feature on their phone or their watch,” he said.
Jimenez said the watch also allowed dispatchers to listen and have a conversation with the people in the vehicle without them having to dial 911.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
Two people were hospitalized as a result of the crash, but officials said it could have been a lot worse if the device hadn’t called 911.
CHP officials think that the technology is valuable enough that it could save a life. Apple Watch or iPhone users can activate the crash detection option in their settings.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok