Arrowsmith Search and Rescue attribute an iPhone crash alert to the safe rescue of two victims of a 4×4 rollover crash near Nanoose Bay.
On the night of Jan. 17, Arrowsmith SAR says they received a crash alert from an iPhone in Mosaic’s Northwest Bay Division, which is close to Nanoose Bay.
Phone call attempts to the iPhone were unsuccessful, but SAR was able to dispatch 4×4 vehicles along a logging road near to the location provided by the iPhone.
“If we didn’t have that location from Apple, we’d probably still be out there looking,” said Arrowsmith SAR member Nick Rivers.
“It’s very fortunate for them that it worked,” added Arrowsmith SAR member Ken Eden.
“The RCMP launched one of their drones with heat sensors over the area and found a heat source, likely a vehicle, at the location given by Apple,” said Arrowsmith SAR in a Facebook post.
Two subjects were found with a 4×4 vehicle that had slid off the road and rolled onto its side.
“Without that technology, it could have been hours before they were reported missing and then we wouldn’t know where to start looking, and the Northwest Bay logging division is massive,” said Rivers.
Arrowsmith SAR says the location of the accident has no cell coverage and that passengers were unaware their phone had sent a distress signal by satellite.
“The individuals were quite cold and quite happy to get warmed up for sure,” said Rivers.
‘Were they surprised to see you?’ asked CHEK News.
“Yeah, so they didn’t know that the iPhone had reported it,” said Rivers.
“It’s the first one we’ve been involved in where the crash detect worked as it should and we got the people out soon,” said Neden.
Arrowsmith SAR says the two crash victims survived, with relatively minor injuries, and credit the quick response to the scene for averting what could have ended in tragedy.
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Oli Herrera
