Mohammad Islam said his Apple Watch automatically alerted 911 after he collapsed outside his Cincinnati home, bringing paramedics within about five to 10 minutes.
Doctors later found blood clots in his lungs after Islam had earlier gone to a clinic with ear pain, stomach issues, shortness of breath and trouble walking, but said staff found nothing wrong.
Islam said his wife was away and his daughters live hours away, leaving the watch’s fall-detection emergency call as the key link to help when he blacked out taking out the trash.
He is now taking medication to break down existing or future clots while doctors still investigate what caused the episode he said came out of nowhere.