Passenger new iPhone The 14 automatically alerted emergency services after their car crashed into a tree early Sunday morning in a crash that killed all six young adults on board, authorities said.
The crash, which happened around 2:15 a.m. in Lincoln, Nebraska, killed five people at the scene. A 24-year-old woman was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where she was later pronounced dead.
The injured include the driver, a 22-year-old man, a 21-year-old man, a 23-year-old man, a 23-year-old man and two 22-year-old men. The Huffington Post. As of Tuesday, none of the victims had been named.
Authorities call crash ‘Lincoln’s worst in recent memory’ after alerted by iPhone
The crash is still under investigation, and authorities added that they were alerted to the crash after a passenger’s iPhone sent a signal to emergency responders, who automatically relayed the alert after the owner of the phone did not respond.
Investigators called the crash “the worst … in Lincoln in recent memory.”
A passenger’s iPhone automatically alerted first responders to a fatal car crash in Nebraska that has been described as the “worst crash” in the area in recent memory. https://t.co/VnvNOY3mkt pic.twitter.com/BEV8R6Mkzu
— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) October 3, 2022
“This is the worst crash in Lincoln in a long time,” said Lincoln Assistant Police Chief Michon Morrow. “We tried to come up with another accident this bad, but we couldn’t come up with anything.”
Meanwhile, authorities said they had found no witnesses as of Tuesday, making it much more difficult to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Investigators say they are “looking into all possibilities, including alcohol, speed or distracted driving.”
Moreau added that they are “looking into all possibilities, including alcohol, speed or distracted driving.”
“It will take us some time to find out the cause of this accident,” Morau said. “We are looking at all possibilities, including alcohol, speed or distracted driving.”
In one of the worst car crashes in Lincoln, Nebraska, 6 people died. Emergency services are alerted by the iPhone 14’s crash detection system. pic.twitter.com/c2Uus2Hml5
— Euro Maestro (@euromaestro) October 4, 2022
The iPhone 14’s new crash detection feature, which alerted authorities to the crash, kicks in after the phone detects an impact and then automatically calls emergency services if the phone’s owner is unresponsive.
The new iPhone 14, released just last month, includes a new emergency alert feature
The latest version of the iPhone was just released in the US on September 16 and costs between $799 and $1,199 for the more expensive models.
Photos of the accident show the car completely wrecked, with the roof ripped off and the doors smashed into pieces.
This is a developing story, stay tuned as injuries and the cause of the crash are identified.