Skip to main content

Siri helped save a teenager after his vehicle crashed into icy river

Apple’s digital assistant Siri proved to be instrumental in the rescue of a teenager who crashed his vehicle into an icy river.

Gael Salcedo, an 18-year-old college student, was driving to the North Iowa Area Community College when his Jeep hit a patch of ice. Salcedo lost control of the vehicle, which slid off the road and crashed into the Winnebago River.

“I turned to the right and from there, everything just went blurry. I didn’t know where I was going and then I just didn’t know what to do. I was just thinking in my head ‘I think I’m going to die,'” Salcedo told KIMT, an affiliate of CNN.

Upon realizing that he was in the river, Salcedo rolled down the windows as he grew worried that his Jeep might sink. With the ice and water of the Winnebago River below freezing temperatures, things looked grim for the teenager.

Fortunately, Salcedo had the idea of turning to modern technology to get out of his predicament. He did not know where his iPhone was after the accident, but Siri was there to save the day.

“I lost my phone and since I couldn’t find it, I was like ‘Hey Siri, call 911.’ And once Siri called, that’s when I found my phone finally,” said Salcedo.

Firefighters from Mason City quickly arrived at the scene to rescue Salcedo from the freezing waters. The river’s current was pinning down the door at the driver’s side, so they had to approach the Jeep from the passenger side. At the time, the water was quickly rising.

Lieutenant Craig Warner of the Mason City Fire Department was forced to ask Salcedo to walk out of the vehicle and into the river. He held the teenager the whole way, but it was no easy task due to the strength of the current.

Salcedo was eventually guided out of the river and helped into an ambulance. He was treated for shock and released from the hospital after three hours.

Siri joins the Apple Watch in being credited for saving lives and helping users escape from dangerous situations, as the applications of technology further expand for the benefit of its users.

Editors' Recommendations

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
Apple just announced the dates for WWDC 2024
WWDC 2024 banner.

Apple has just announced the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. WWDC will take place from June 10 through June 14, 2024. A special event will be held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on June 10, and we expect to see the reveal of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2.

WWDC will be free for all developers online. Developers will be able to access a variety of online sessions and labs that will showcase the latest advancements in software across all of Apple’s hardware.

Read more
Does the Moto G Stylus have NFC?
Moto G Stylus 5G 2023 leaning

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is a line of midrange Android smartphones, each of which comes packing a stylus — as the name ,akes clear. The two latest models are the Moto G Stylus (2023) and the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). Although these models are similar, they have some noticeable differences, including their support for near-field communication (NFC) technology. This article will examine which Moto G Stylus models come with NFC and which do not.
What is NFC?

Near-field communication (NFC) is a technology that lets two gadgets communicate with each other when they are within a few centimeters of each other. It is useful for touch payments, e-tickets, data sharing, and effortlessly linking devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Read more
Galaxy AI is now available for these other Samsung phones
A white Samsung Galaxy S23 next to a pink Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus.

In January, Samsung introduced its Galaxy AI features alongside its Galaxy S24 series of smartphones. Since then, if you've wanted to use Galaxy AI, you've needed a Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, or Galaxy S24 Ultra. That's about to change.

Samsung just announced that it's about to bring those Galaxy AI features to a lot more devices, meaning you'll soon be able to use Galaxy AI even if you don't have a Galaxy S24.

Read more