PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — An iPhone SOS crash notification alerted emergency responders to a cliffside rescue in Pierce County overnight.
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, a Search and Rescue (SAR) crew responded to the notification at around 10 p.m. last night and headed about 12 miles up into the mountains above Wilkeson, where they found two people walking down the road.
The people said they had been involved in a rollover collision near the top of the mountain, where their vehicle slid off a cliff. They also said that the driver and one passenger were still inside the vehicle.
SAR found the vehicle approximately 250 feet down a cliff with two people trapped.
As of 8 a.m. Friday morning, emergency responders, including PCSO SAR rope techs, volunteer SAR, and potentially military aviation assets, are all still working on rescuing the two people from the side of the cliff, which deputies say is along Forest Service Road NF110, near T-Rex Falls.
The sheriff’s office says that because conditions have been very cold, wet, and foggy and the location is difficult to reach even with UTVs, additional resources have been requested.
SAR techs, volunteers (including a doctor), and fire crews are currently with the patients on the side of the mountain and are trying to stabilize the patient(s) before moving them.
Rescue operations are still active, and the patient(s) are being stabilized until rescuers can figure out if they can be airlifted or need to be moved by ambulance.
iPhone SOS Crash Detection
iPhone Crash Detection automatically detects and alerts emergency services and your designated contacts if you are in a severe car crash and cannot reach your phone.
Crash Detection works on these iPhone and Apple Watch models:
- iPhone 14 or later (all models) with iOS 16 or later
- Apple Watch Series 8 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra or later with watchOS 9 or later
On supported iPhone and Apple Watch models, Crash Detection is turned on by default and requires a satellite connection, cellular connection, or Wi-Fi.
You can also follow these steps to make sure that your device is able to share the information that your emergency contacts and emergency responders need.
- To alert your emergency contacts and share your Medical ID with emergency responders, set up your Medical ID and your emergency contacts in the Health app.
- To share your location with your emergency contacts, turn on Location Services for Emergency SOS: On your iPhone, tap Settings, then tap Privacy & Security. Tap Location Services, then tap System Services, and make sure Emergency Calls & SOS is turned on.
To learn more, visit: support.apple.com/en-us/104959