A driver who crashed off Highway 34 near Philomath Friday night was wearing an Apple Watch that reportedly notified 911, Philomath Fire and Rescue wrote in a report on the incident.
The driver, a teenage female, appears to have escaped the crash with no injuries.
Philomath Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the crash at 8:05 p.m. Feb. 14. According to a report, the vehicle left the highway near Botkin Road after hitting an icy stretch coming out of curves in the roadway.
The incident commander at the scene reported that the vehicle flipped upside down and landed in a drainage ditch approximately 20 feet down an embankment on the north side of Highway 34 and Botkin Road. The driver was talking with the first-arriving officers from the Philomath Police Department but was unable to exit the vehicle with all of the doors jammed shut. She was reported to have been wearing a seatbelt and the airbags in the vehicle deployed during the crash.
Philomath firefighters lowered a ladder off the side of the hill and broke one of the vehicle’s windows, which allowed the driver to exit and climb up under her own power. The driver was examined and did not complain of any injuries with ambulance transportation to the hospital not required. A parent arrived to take care of her daughter.
Apple Watch has a feature that can detect a severe car crash and help victims connect with emergency services.
In addition to Philomath Fire and Rescue, which sent a crew of four, and Philomath Police, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Corvallis Fire Department responded to the scene.