SOS alert from iPhone leads Florida deputies to man trapped in submerged vehicle
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. - An alert feature on an iPhone led Florida first responders to a man who had crashed and was trapped in a submerged vehicle, ultimately saving his life.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office released body camera video of the rescue after the SOS alert led them right to the man.
On Wednesday, the 38-year-old man was driving near Stuart late a night on County Road 609 and swerved to avoid an animal. He ended up crashing upside down into a dark, murky canal where his vehicle began to sink with him trapped inside.
Thankfully, an iPhone feature enabled on the man's phone led deputies straight to him.
"The impact of the crash prompted his cell phone to send an S.O.S alert to our dispatchers with impact coordinates," the sheriff's office said.
When they arrived, deputies could hear the man pleading for help and they jumped into action.
"Ok buddy, I got you," a deputy is heard telling the driver in the body cam video.
The handle of the car broke off during the rescue, but deputies persisted and were able to pull the man to safety.
"Can you give me a blanket, sir, I'm freezing," the man is heard pleading to deputies.
The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
If you want to activate the SOS feature, go into your iPhone settings and into Emergency SOS. You are presented with a few options, including one for crash detection. Many Android phones also have similar features.