# Apple Watch called 911 for a man who never turned the feature on

Source: https://idevice.com/apple-watch-fall-detection-called-911-blood-clots
Published: 2026-07-27

> Fall detection called for help while Mohammad Islam was unconscious. He had never switched it on; watchOS did it for him because he is over 55.

Mohammad Islam collapsed while taking out the trash at his home in Cincinnati. His Apple Watch detected the fall and contacted emergency services while he was unconscious, and he woke on the ground to the sound of sirens. Doctors at the University of Cincinnati found blood clots in his lungs. [9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/28/man-credits-apple-watch-with-saving-his-life-after-collapsing-at-home/) and [AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/07/27/daughters-overjoyed-as-apple-watch-gift-saves-their-fathers-life) both credit local station WKRC with the reporting.

He never switched fall detection on. AppleInsider reports he is over 55, which is the age at which watchOS enables it without asking, and the only reason he knew it existed was the occasional false alarm while working in the yard. The watch itself was a gift from his daughters, who had been asking him every day whether he was wearing it. Two defaults did the work here: theirs, and Apple's.

## Sources

- [9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/28/man-credits-apple-watch-with-saving-his-life-after-collapsing-at-home/) (9to5Mac)
- [AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/07/27/daughters-overjoyed-as-apple-watch-gift-saves-their-fathers-life) (AppleInsider)