Swimmer stuck in frigid Columbia River uses Apple Watch to call for help

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited June 2022
A woman who became stuck while swimming in the frigid Columbia River used her Apple Watch to call emergency services, which quickly came to her rescue.

Apple Watch swimming
Apple Watch swimming


The woman was swimming in the Columbia River on June 15 near The Dalles, Oregon when her foot got caught under rocks at the river's bottom, according to a report from the local police department seen by 9to5Mac.

Because of continual rains in the area, police said that the river was "extremely high." The water temperature was also about 56 degrees around 6:30 p.m., when officers showed up to reports of a swimmer in distress.

According to the report, the swimmer was nearing exhaustion and was showing signs of hypothermia when authorities showed up.

Personnel from the Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Department attempted to use a ladder to reach the swimmer and pry apart the rocks holding her foot. However, both attempts were unsuccessful and the swimmer's condition continued to deteriorate.

Eventually, a local police officer decided to enter the river himself. He freed the swimmer's stuck foot, and assisted her to shore.

This is far from the first time that an Apple Watch has facilitated a rescue of someone in need. People in emergency situations like car crashes and attempted assaults have used the wearable to call for aid.

Back in January 2021, the Apple Watch also helped save a cyclist who fell into a river in the U.K.

Since the release of the Apple Watch Series 2 in 2016, the company's wearables have been rated for swimming. The most recent Apple Watch Series 7, for example, has a water resistance rating of up to 50 meters. The wearable also sports emergency features like Fall Detection and Emergency SOS, which allows users to quickly call emergency services from their wrist.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,147member
    JP234 said:
    It wasn't the watch in the photo above this article. That one is GPS only (no red on the crown). Unless she had her phone on her or in bluetooth range. Doubtful when you're swimming in a river.
    And that clearly (or rather, far too clearly) isn't the Columbia river!

    (Foot caught in rocks - that must have been scary)
  • Reply 2 of 7
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    *Invents device that literally saves your life*

    “Apple hasn’t innovated in years lol!”
  • Reply 3 of 7
    viclauyycviclauyyc Posts: 849member
    Shouldn’t the fire department go in the water to save the lady? Why the policeman need to do it? Good job cop. 
  • Reply 4 of 7
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    You’d hate to be the Apple intern that got that gig.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,731member
    JP234 said:
    It wasn't the watch in the photo above this article. That one is GPS only (no red on the crown). Unless she had her phone on her or in bluetooth range. Doubtful when you're swimming in a river.
    These days, that might not even be a real human in that photo. At the very least, it will be photo-retouched. 
  • Reply 6 of 7
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,469member
    WTF?  Why would anybody with an IQ room temperature or better think that was a pic of the woman in the story? It's a stock pic AI got somewhere to add a bit of color to the coverage. They weren't trying to make anybody think otherwise or depict a reenactment. FFS.

    Hey lady, I know you're near hypothermic and exhausted but hang on while we take a pic for the news. No, extend your arm with the watch. No no, turn it so we can see the face. That's better. No we gotta do it again, you're thrashing around too much and the bubbles obscure the watch.
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