Apple’s Latest Watch and iPhone Take Accident Detection Seriously

Apple’s new Accident Detection detects severe car crashes and automatically calls 911. Seeking your own medical attention after less severe crashes, however, remains critical.

As usual, Apple’s latest debuts – the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 – are poised to do it all, and this time doing it all includes detecting serious car accidents and calling 911 in response. For its part, Apple is calling the watch update extremely insightful, and that’s a good way to put it. While certain phones have offered crash detection for a while now, the Series 8 watch is one of the first and likely the only smartwatch out there to support this intuitive safety feature (according to TechCrunch). It’s time to take a closer look.

TechCrunch explains how the update works at the most basic level:

• Apple Accident Detection is supported by a three-axis gyroscope that works in conjunction with a high g-force accelerometer with the capability of sampling data at four times the speed of the previous generation.
• Together, these allow an algorithm to run on the watch – along with the Series 8’s barometer – which leaves it capable of detecting crashes in most vehicle types and of notifying the user’s emergency contacts and emergency services if the wearer doesn’t respond within the allotted 10 seconds.

The mechanism was built on an immense amount of data that was generated by simulated accidents that commonly occur in the real world at professional crash test labs, including head-on accidents, rear-end collisions, side-impact crashes, and rollovers.

Business Wire reports that, when used in conjunction, Crash Detection on the Apple Watch and iPhone 14 Accident Detection work seamlessly to summon help to the scene of severe traffic accidents as quickly as possible. When the watch, the phone, or both identify what the Accident Detection determines to be a severe car accident, the user’s Apple Watch, which is likely to be closer, will display the emergency call interface while the iPhone – if it is positioned for the best possible connection – will make the call to 911.

Rear-end accidents are among the most common on our roadways, and far from being mere fender benders, they are also some of the most dangerous. In fact, the Insurance Information Institute (III) shares the following sobering statistics related to rear-end accidents:

• Rear-end accidents accounted for 6.8 percent of all fatal traffic crashes in 2020.
• Rear-end accidents were the third leading cause of fatal traffic accidents – after angle and head-on collisions – in 2020.
• Rear-end accidents generally occur when the forward car has come to a stop, and the rear car fails to react accordingly. Even when these accidents happen at relatively low speeds, they can lead to serious injuries – while potentially failing to register on Apple Watch Accident Detection. Common injuries include: Soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash Spinal injuries Neck injuries Injuries to lower extremities

When a vehicle is hit from the front, there is considerable risk involved. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shares the following related statistics:

• Frontal crashes accounted for a full 58 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in 2020.
• Frontal crashes accounted for 15 fatalities per million registered passenger vehicles in 2020, while side and rear collisions accounted for 5 and 2 fatalities per million, respectively.

Even frontal crashes that occur at lower speeds and are less dramatic overall can lead to very serious physical, financial, and emotional consequences. Common injuries in such accidents include:

• Spinal sprains and strains
• Sprains and strains of the extremities
• Arm and hand burns, abrasions, and fractures from airbag deployment
• Chest and abdominal injuries in frontal accidents in which the airbags do not deploy

We sit so close to the sides of our vehicles and have so little in the way of a crumple zone to protect us from the impact of side accidents that relatively minor side crashes can lead to very serious injuries. Consider the following statistics forwarded by IIHS:

• Side impacts accounted for 23 percent of traffic fatalities in 2020.
• Side impacts are more likely than rear-end accidents but less likely than frontal accidents to be fatal.

Even in those side impact accidents in which everyone can walk away, serious injuries can be sustained, and when they are slow to present with symptoms, they have more time to develop into something more serious and become difficult to treat effectively. Common injuries in this category include:

• Soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash
• Injuries to the extremities
• Pelvic injuries

The importance of obtaining the medical attention that you need as soon after a car accident of any degree of seriousness is difficult to overstate. If you are involved in an accident that is severe enough for your iPhone 14 Accident Detection and Apple Watch Accident Detection to work in unison and alert the authorities – along with your emergency contacts – it stands to reason that you will receive swift medical attention (according to your needs). When you are in a car accident that does not reach that level, however, it does not mitigate the fact that obtaining swift medical attention can significantly improve your health outcome – regardless of what kind of injury you sustain.

The legal damages – or losses – you experience as a result of another driver’s negligence in the kind of accident that does not alert Apple’s Accident Detection can, nevertheless, be immense, and obtaining just compensation for your full range of losses can play a pivotal role in your ability to regain your health and well-being.

Even if you don’t believe you were seriously injured in the car accident in question, you may be surprised by how quickly your medical expenses can mount. Your doctor will likely need to do a suite of medical tests to rule out any serious injuries, and even what you may consider a minor injury can require considerable medical costs. Additionally, minor injuries can lead to secondary health concerns and ongoing healthcare needs that come with attendant medical bills.

While you obtain the medical attention you need, you may experience lost hours on the job that result in lost earnings. If the injury lingers or evolves into something more serious, this category of loss can be that much more challenging.

Your injuries don’t have to be life-threatening or even severe for them to be immensely painful and difficult to handle. The emotional stress that goes along with being injured by someone else’s negligence can be one of the most difficult aspects of your losses.

If you’ve suffered an injury as a result of another driver’s negligence, obtaining the compensation to which you are entitled is important to your recovery, and the trusted California personal injury attorneys at Blair & Ramirez LLP have the experience and legal insight to advocate skillfully for your claim’s most favorable resolution. If you’re not sure what your legal needs are, we offer a free case evaluator to help you better understand the legalities of your case and make the right decisions for you. Your case is important, so please don’t wait to reach out and contact or call us at 213-568-4000 for more information today.