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Picture this: you’re riding along on your motorcycle, minding your own business, and then BAM!
You’re knocked off your bike by a van that speeds off, leaving you for dead on the pavement.
That’s exactly what happened to one Muhammad Fitri recently in Singapore.
According to Zaobao, the 24-year-old motorcyclist was the victim of a road junction hit-and-run in the quiet suburb of Ang Mo Kio on 25 September.
Fitri said after that he only just managed to make out his assailant as he was lying on the ground, but quickly lost consciousness after.
The scene of the incident.
Image via Tynaa Eynaa (Facebook)
However, help got to him in time, thanks to a nifty piece of technology
In a posting on Facebook, Fitri’s sister chronicled the whole ordeal.
“My brother was on his way home. He was riding his bike at the T-junction, and there’s (sic) incoming van from the left, turning right. The van dashed out and hit my brother exactly inside the yellow box. The mentioned van then left the scene,” her recap of the events began.
“My brother was then unconscious and luckily his Apple Watch called the ambulance.”
Image via Zaobao SG
It was reported that Fitri’s Apple Watch also immediately sent messages to his emergency contacts, which included his girlfriend.
Image via Tynaa Eynaa (Facebook)
Fitri was then rushed to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he was found to have suffered significant head trauma, and possible brain haemorrhage. Despite this, his condition is purportedly stable.
What is for certain, however, is that things could have been much worse if not for the prompt SOS alert.
Many types of smart watches now have this feature
The fall detection function of the Apple Watch is available for use on the Series 4 and later models, and works in the same way that Fitri’s case does.
After a hard fall, it will vibrate and show a screen asking if you’re okay. If it does not detect any movement after a minute, it will make an automatic call to emergency services.
Image via Apple
For countries that have multiple emergency services, the one for ambulances will be called.
Designated emergency contacts on your phonebook will also be notified after the fact, complete with geotagged locations and alerts.
Companies such as Garmin and Samsung have also got in on the act, with fall detection features like these are becoming standard in the smart watch space.