Apple Watch SOS Feature Helps Saves the Life of a Pennsylvania Woman and Her Son
While it might not be a very well-known Apple Watch feature, the SOS feature can used to automatically call for help even if your iPhone is out of reach. And one Pennsylvania woman used the Apple Watch SOS to help call for emergency services after being hit by a drunk driver.
Kacie Anderson relayed her story to Shape magazine.
The 24-year-old mother from Hannover, Pennsylvania was driving with her 9-month-old son when she was hit by a drunk driver. She was unable to reach her iPhone:
“The moment he hit us everything inside the car went airborne. My face took a horrible blow to the steering wheel, headrest, back to the steering wheel, and then to the window. I blacked out for about a minute and could not see. My eyes were wide open but all I saw was black,” Anderson shares exclusively with Shape. “My hands flew around to feel for my phone and then I realized I had my watch on and commanded it to call 911.”
In an emergency, push and hold the watch’s side button and then slide the Emergency SOS toggle. You’ll need to be paired with an iPhone or connected to a known wireless network with Wi-Fi calling enabled for the call to go through. Anyone with an LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 can also use the cellular network without needing a handset.
While her son only suffered minor injuries, Anderson has more serious injuries and is still in treatment for two bulging disks:
Anderson shares that in the two years she had been wearing her watch constantly as a lacrosse and basketball coach, she never had to use the SOS feature, but she credits it for “saving” her and her son. “I feel so blessed that I had my Apple Watch on.”
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