FENCE, Wis. (WFRV) – Florence County Sheriff Teresa Chrisman is highlighting the life-saving power of iPhone’s crash detection software after it helped locate 18-year-old Austin Mills, who was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident early Thursday.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office received an automated alert on Oct. 17 shortly before 6 a.m., indicating that the phone owner was involved in a crash and was unresponsive. The software provided Mills’ exact location on State Highway 101 near Popple River, where emergency personnel quickly responded.
Authorities discovered Mills with severe head trauma, his vehicle overturned after he reportedly swerved to avoid a deer. He was initially taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to a trauma center in Green Bay, where he remains in intensive care but is showing signs of recovery.
Sheriff Chrisman expressed gratitude for the technology, saying, “This iPhone crash detection feature uses a combination of sensors to detect severe car crashes and automatically call emergency services.”
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She emphasized the importance of enabling this feature on both teen and adult devices, as well as the critical reminder to always wear seatbelts. For those with iPhones, crash detection can be activated by going to Settings > Emergency SOS.
Sheriff Chrisman concluded by thanking the first responders involved in the rescue.
