The story of how an Apple Watch saved a cyclist's life

Smartwatches have become an ideal tool for exercising and tracking health. They are also accessories that can help users in emergency situations. In fact, an Apple Watch saved the life of a cyclist in the United States after he had a severe accident in the mountains earlier this year. This is the viral story.

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Ryan McConnaughey is a 23-year-old cyclist from California, who was on his bicycle in the mountains of Spring Valley when he had a serious accident earlier this year. The hard fall made him fly over the handlebars of the bike and landed headfirst on the pavement.

The impact left Ryan paralyzed, unable to move any of his limbs. Although he didn't feel any pain, the fact that he couldn't move was terrifying. The problem was that the cyclist's iPhone was in his backpack and he couldn't reach it.

"I didn't know what to expect. It was a life or death situation," he told People magazine. "My cell phone was in my backpack, which was on my back, and I couldn't... There was no way I could have reached it. There was no way," he explained.

The life-saving calls

Luckily, Ryan had his Apple Watch. Unable to move, Ryan used his watch with the voice command "Hey Siri" and used it to make 3 calls. First, he called a friend to tell him what happened and indicate his location, then he called 911, and finally, he called his girlfriend Lauren Housh, to whom he left a message.

"Lauren, I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he said in an emotional voice message. "I fell off my mountain bike, and I'm alone, and I'm paralyzed from the neck down... I'm calling you from my Apple Watch because I can't move. I love you so much, sweetheart. I love you more than anything, and I don't feel any pain. I want you to know," Ryan added. His partner shared the voice message on TikTok, where it has been seen millions of times.

Thanks to all these calls, Ryan was able to be located and taken to a hospital for the appropriate treatment. Despite being quadriplegic, Ryan is alive and trying to move forward after the accident. Undoubtedly, the Apple Watch saved the cyclist's life, demonstrating the usefulness of this accessory.

Ryan's recovery

Four months after the accident, Ryan returned to San Diego and since then, he has regained some movement in his arms. He still can't move anything below his chest, but he is hopeful that he will continue to improve in the next two years.

Lauren created a donation campaign to raise funds to help with McConnaughey's recovery and has since raised nearly $40,000.