ASHEBORO, N.C. — An extraordinary rescue took place in Asheboro, thanks to an iPhone.
Westside Fire and Rescue took photos of a crash off Highway 49 near Oak Hollow Drive.
They said a tow truck drove off the road around 1:30 a.m.
The driver was stuck inside the truck and could've been there for hours if it wasn't for his iPhone.
The iPhone’s crash detection system sent an alert to first responders, and they were able to find him.
"Luckily, it picked up and called 911 because he couldn't even reach the phone. It was laying on the floorboard," Assistant Chief at Westside Fire and Rescue Alan Garner said.
Firefighters told us they had to use their equipment to get the driver out, but he's expected to be okay.
"All we had to do was pop the door open and he was able to crawl out on his own," Garner shared.
Experts said technology like this has advanced over the years.
"The sensors that enabled are force sensors, pressure sensors, and microphones to collect sound and combine. This makes a good prediction of whether or not someone is in a crash," Associate Professor Dr. Corey Graves said.
He teaches at North Carolina A&T State University at the College of Engineering.
North Carolina Highway Patrol has launched an investigation into the crash.
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