But when Zelada found Fields’ shattered iPhone 14, Dirt, they found out their rescue had It’s already started.Apple new It detected a collision and alerted emergency services.
About 40 minutes after they believed their lives were over, 23-year-old Fields and 24-year-old Zelada arrived at the hospital. helicopter On the way to a hospital in Pasadena, California.
“We have moments like ‘Holy’ [crap]it was the size of a football field that we fell on,” Fields told The Washington Post.
Fields and Zelada have often driven on the Los Angeles County highways to view the surrounding Angeles National Forest. The two bonded over their love of the outdoors after meeting in a math class at her college in Pasadena City four years ago.
Fields, a freelance video editor, and Zelada, a Honda sales consultant, decided to take a break from work on December 13th, enjoy breakfast, and then drive their favorite route. One sunny afternoon, Zelada was driving down his two-lane highway when a car honked as it tried to pass.But when he was pulled over the bumpy gravel by the roadside, The car lost traction. The new Hyundai made a 180-degree turn before descending from the mountainside into the forest’s Monkey Canyon.
Fields said she hyperventilated as she fell through the trees for 15 seconds, while Zelada got behind the wheel and repeated, “Okay.” She believed they would both die soon. Zelada had heard stories of road falls, but never imagined that was what happened to him.
“Our chances of survival were one in a million,” Zelada said.
The two were still breathing when the nose of the upside-down car hit the ground near the creek. Zelada said a tree trunk was blocking the door by the driver’s side, so they both fled on the passenger side. There were abrasions on his face, but an initial examination revealed no fractures.
Seeking help, Zelada suggested hiking through the forest. Fields was looking for a means of communication, but he didn’t realize the phone he had bought about two weeks earlier was working.
When Zelada spotted Fields’ phone about 10 yards from the crash site, Fields said “You appear to have been hit” on her screen, with the option to swipe to make an emergency call. I was. Connected via satellite, Emergency SOS comes standard on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. apple website.
The technology allowed Fields to alert local emergency services.rear helicopter dispatch From about 28 miles away, rescuers positioned Fields and Zelada 30 minutes away. later. Fields said she struggled to keep her cool even as she was being pulled to safety until she heard the reassuring words of a firefighter, “You are alive.”
Sergeant John Gilbert, coordinator of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Montrose Search and Rescue Team, told The Post that Zelada and Fields were lucky.
“If there is a vehicle crossing on a particular part of the roadway, we are usually dealing with fatalities,” he said.
Gilbert said his team had been warned about Apple’s new feature three times before, but in previous cases, including accidental activations and routine car crashes, rescuers weren’t needed. I didn’t.
But Gilbert knew that Fields’ phone coordinates were in the canyon.without warning from On the phone, Gilbert said Fields and Zelada could be stranded.
“This is going to be a game changer,” says Gilbert. “From the first emergency he’s an hour to he’s an hour and a half late, and before we’re notified, there are many incidents.”
A helicopter flew Fields and Zelada to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, where X-rays and CT scans showed no major injuries.After waiting four hours, Zelada’s father drove the couple to their home in Glendale.
“We’re just grateful to be alive today,” Fields said. “And we continue to find our purpose.”