POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A 62-year-old mother said her beeping phone woke her up early Saturday morning with nightmarish news.
Fatima Rispo received an automatic notification reporting her 34-year-old son had been in a car crash in Broward County. She said the message sent shortly before 2:50 a.m. included a location: Valentine Lake in Pompano Beach.
Rispo, a beautician, said she got in her car and drove there. When she couldn’t see her son Gustavo Torres or his car, she feared that he was trapped underwater or had drowned. She waited anxiously for police and fire rescue to arrive at about 3:30 a.m.
As Broward Sheriff’s Office divers searched the lake near Northwest Eighth Avenue and Center Port Circle, Rispo said she received another notification. Torres wasn’t in his car anymore. He had managed to swim out of the car and the lake in darkness and walked home to Boca Rio.
“God gave him a second chance; he gave me a chance to have my son,” Rispo said.
Divers found Torres’s car about 50 feet below water. A tow truck driver pulled it out of the lake. Rispo said Torres walked for over two hours and 25 minutes to get to Boca Rio. Torres received the notifications because he had saved Rispo as his emergency contact.
Apple’s iPhone 14 or later models with iOS 16, or later, have a crash detection feature. The promise: “If your iPhone or Apple Watch detects a severe car crash, your device can help connect you to emergency services.” It also works with the Apple iWatch Series 8 or later and the Apple iWatch SE, second generation. and Ultra or later — with the watch OS9 or later installed.
Apple first announced the feature in 2022 and used sensors to detect motion and speed, so even a rollercoaster ride or skiers’ jumps triggered the 911 call. The iPhone is capable of making SOS calls with satellite connectivity. There have been improvements. The service is turned on by default and shares the Medical ID and location.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Joyce Grace Ortega contributed to this report.