A thoughtful present from his daughters ended up saving a Cincinnati man after a sudden medical emergency. Mohammad Islam was doing chores around his house when he had a severe medical episode that left him unable to get up. Luckily, his new smartwatch was on his wrist. The device quickly noticed his heavy fall and called emergency services, getting him the medical help he needed just in time to treat an unknown condition.
A sudden fall at home triggers an automatic emergency response
Islam was taking out the trash at his house when he turned around and just collapsed. He blacked out for an unknown amount of time. “Suddenly my eyes opened up, and I was on the ground and sweating like crazy,” he recalled. He tried to get back on his feet but could not manage it. “There was a chair, so I held it,” he said. “Then I heard the sirens coming.”
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The quick arrival of the medics was all thanks to his Apple Watch. Because he is over 55 years old, the built-in fall detection tool was already turned on automatically. When he hit the ground and did not move, the watch called 911 for him. Emergency workers took him straight to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where doctors found dangerous blood clots in his lungs. He was treated and sent home with medication.
Daughters are overjoyed their persistent gift-wearing reminders paid off
The life-saving device was a recent gift from his daughters. They had also given their mother one, and they regularly checked in on him to make sure he kept it on. Islam mentioned that every single day they would call and ask, “Are you wearing your Apple Watch?” Now, he says, “They’re overjoyed that their gift saved me.”
Before the incident, Islam knew the watch had some kind of alert system because of occasional false alarms during yard work. “Because when I work in the yard or something and I bang my hand, it says, ‘Hey, did you fall down? Should we call SOS or something?'” He explained. “So, it was in the back of my mind, but I did not know that it was going to call 911.”
This event shows exactly why Apple built these safety tools into its wearable products. A simple piece of everyday technology can step in and make a massive difference when you least expect it.
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