Driver lay dying after crash despite iPhone automatically calling police
A coroner has said police need better training to deal with the crash detection function on iPhones after a 19-year-old lay dying despite 999 being called.
George Dillon had crashed into a tree when his Apple device automatically called 999, indicating he had been in “a serious car crash and was not responding” to his phone.
The police called back but it went straight to voicemail and the department’s intelligence team “drew a blank” trying to identify the caller.
Operators logged there was “no direct request made” and nothing could be heard in the background with no sounds of distress or disturbance, so the police did not initially attend the scene.
Henry Charles, the assistant coroner for Hampshire, has warned better understanding is needed to help officers deal with automated calls.
In 2022, Apple introduced the detection feature, through which iPhone users can set their phone to automatically make an emergency call when it detects that they have been in a severe car accident.
Writing to the Hampshire constabulary and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, he said “false alarms” from electronic devices were common and were often inaccurate.
‘Catastrophic’ injuries
At Dillon’s inquest in Winchester, Hampshire, it was heard he lost control of his VW Golf on a crest in the road in Romsey, near Southampton, and hit a large tree.
As a result, he suffered “catastrophic and unsurvivable” injuries and died at the Southampton general hospital two days later on May 20 last year.
In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Mr Charles has revealed that there is a risk that future deaths could occur.
He wrote: “At 10.26pm, Hampshire Constabulary’s control room received an automated telephone call from the deceased’s iPhone indicating that the deceased had been in a serious car crash and was not responding to their iPhone.
“The operator logged ‘no direct request made and cannot hear anything distinctive in the background – no sounds of distress/disturbance’.”
He added that the iPhone was called back, but it had gone to voicemail.
Police ‘drew a blank’
“The control room supervisor forwarded the message to the intelligence team to establish who the iPhone belonged to and whether there was any serious harm or risk to life at that time,” he said.
But less than 20 minutes later, at 10.43pm, the intelligence team had “drawn a blank”.
Mr Charles continued: “But for a separate telephone call from a member of the public at 10.45pm, further steps may have been made to make contact ... or a police vehicle may have been assigned to attend the GPS co-ordinates provided by the iPhone or no further action taken.
“The evidence indicated that false alarms from electronic devices such as telephones and watches are commonplace and that locations received from such devices were often inaccurate and liable to involve substantial police time in tracking the device down.”
He also said the Apple feature was a “recent development” at the time of the accident and other manufacturers had since launched a similar feature.
“The investigating officer stated during the inquest that ‘not enough is known (by the police) about this technology within people’s personal phones’,” he said.
“I am concerned that the understanding, training and procedures need review to assist with appropriately prompt response in situations where there is an indication of a collision where a risk to life may exist.”
He added: “In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you and your organisation have the power to take such action.”
Mr Charles added the force was under a duty to respond within eight weeks.