Featured Image Credit: Kennedy
Topics: Technology, Health, Apple
Callum Jones
A US man thinks his Apple Watch saved his life after the device was able to ring emergency services following a horrific crash.
Eric Zollinger, from Midtown West in New York, had been cycling home from his office last month when he hit a flooded eight-inch-deep pothole.
This caused him to smack his face on the concrete, but the damage did not become evident for a short while afterwards.
The 49-year-old quickly checked to make sure his veneers were intact before walking the rest of the journey to his apartment.
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Assessing the damage in the mirror, Eric decided to have a shower to clean himself up.
This is when the problems started to happen though, as Eric says his nose began to 'gush' with blood that left his bathroom looking like a 'murder scene'.
Eric attempted to stand up in the tub, but suddenly became dizzy and fainted.
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At this point, Eric fell unconscious, with the real estate broker unaware he was lying there unresponsive.
But he woke up to the sound of a 911 operator speaking to him through his Apple Watch, who was prompting him to get to hospital.
Eric is now crediting the Apple device for saving his life as he was unaware at the time the extent of his injuries.
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"I wouldn't have normally posted all the graphic shower photos [of the blood] but I thought you know what this is really important and the whole emphasis is really on the Apple Watch," he said.
"I ended up falling in the shower and my Apple Watch hit the side of the tub and because of the impact called 911 and alerted my emergency contacts with a map telling them my exact location.
"It's very clever of the watch. Apple thinks of everything."
He added: "I don't relish in things that didn't happen, but I don't know how things would have gone for me lay unconcious it the watch hadn't alerted me.
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"I feel very fortunate and grateful at what transpired and happened in how my Apple Watch helped me."
Speaking of the moment he got home following the crash and the subsequent shower, Eric said: "I had a shower to clean myself up.
"I was just sitting in the shower letting the warm water run over me and then all of a sudden, my nose starts gushing with blood. It looked like a murder scene.
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"This happened three times. I knew I needed to be careful as I could faint and I couldn't fall asleep as I could have a concussion.
"At this point, I was standing and I rested against the wall. The next thing I remember hearing is '911 what's your emergency'. I don't know if it was five minutes, thirty seconds or longer."
After the 911 call concluded, Eric visited his local ER but was quickly discharged.
"I looked like a monster and didn't leave my apartment for three days after the incident. I still have a bit of swelling on my face but after two weeks all the bruising had gone," Eric said.