Escape death thanks to Siri

Gael Salcedo, who lives in Mason city, was saved in a car accident by promptly giving his virtual assistant Siri on the iPhone.

The Jeep had an accident (left) and Gael Salcedo (right).(Photo: CBS 18).

Last week, 18-year-old Salcedo was on her way to North Iowa Community College when his Jeep drove off and plunged into the Winnebago River."I went on a frozen road, the car turned to the right and from there, everything became dim, I didn't know what to do at that time, I just thought I was going to die," he told CNN .

When Calcedo realized that the car was in the bed of the Winnebago River, he tried to escape through the window but failed because the river water froze at a negative temperature."I couldn't find the iPhone, but when I shouted 'Hey Siri, call 911' the virtual assistant answered , " Salcedo said.

Immediately after receiving an emergency call, rescue teams were quickly available to rescue the victim from the cold water. The water pressure prevented the lifeguard from opening the driver's door, so he had to approach it from the rear compartment. Finally, Calcedo was pulled from Lieutenant Craig Warner of Mason City Fire Department and taken ashore. He discharged after three hours of hospital treatment.

Late last year, Nate Felix in Nevada also escaped a similar car accident thanks to the voice control feature of Siri. In 2017, three California fishermen crashed when a fishing boat hit a reef in the Key Biscayne waters. Because their fingers were wet, they could not use the iPhone's touch screen and had to order Siri to call for help. As a result, patrol helicopters found and rescued fishermen in distress.

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