MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Technology on an iPhone helped deputies find and rescue a driver who crashed a vehicle into a Martin County canal overnight, according to the sheriff's office.
In a Facebook post, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said dispatch received an automated crash distress signal from an unknown cellphone.
They said the phone alerted them to only the longitude and latitude of the incident.
Dispatchers were then able to get a Google map location using those coordinates to dispatch deputies to the scene near Indiantown.
Watch video of the rescue below:
"Our dispatch system takes those numbers and puts them into our Rapid SOS system, which tells them the nearest street, intersection, or address that our deputies or fire rescue can respond to," Chief Deputy John Budensiek said.
When deputies arrived on a desolate stretch of County Road 609 at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, they found a vehicle upside down in a canal. They said they could hear cries for help coming from inside the vehicle.
The sheriff's office said deputies jumped into the water and rescued an injured man.
An initial effort to open the door was thwarted when the handle broke off, but the deputies persisted and got the car opened.
The victim, who was from Indiantown, was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries.
"We would like to commend our brave deputies and incredible dispatchers for their perseverance and bravery locating and rescuing this crash victim using only coordinates automatically launched from the victim's phone," the Facebook post said.
People with an iPhone can go into their settings and then look for the "Emergency SOS" field. The next screen presents you with a few options and one is for "Crash Detection." Many Android phones also have similar features.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office said they've had a few false alarms with this technology, but this is the first one that ended in a rescue.
"It makes it all worthwhile, our deputies being able to get there to take care of business," Budensiek said.
