A retired police officer credits his smartwatch with saving his life after a bicycle crash in a remote area of Laveen.
Steven Judith has his routine.
Nearly every morning, the 70-year-old man wakes up at 5 a.m., hops on his e-bike and rides up to 45 miles around Laveen.
“It’s become a lifestyle for me,” he said.
Usually, he pedals with a partner but one July morning, Judith beat the heat and saddled in as a single as he rode west from his home toward 84th Avenue and Dobbins Road.
As he pedaled north on Dobbins he said a German Shepard, which typically stops at the curb as it barks at him, darted across the street and ran into his front tire.
“I apparently went over the handlebars and that’s the last I remember as far as that goes,” said Judith.
He didn’t know it at the time but with one spill on his bike, Judith had broken his tibia, fractured his scapula and six ribs.
Pictures he shared with us of his road rash up and down his body aren’t necessarily safe for TV, but the former California deputy is able to live to talk about it.
In the moments following the crash, he said “everything went into slow motion.”
The next thing he remembers is being pulled into an ambulance, but he didn’t call 911.
The Apple Watch he was wearing has fall detection. So, when he fell, the watch sent a text message to three emergency contacts and sent emergency dispatchers to his exact location.
The text read, “Hard Fall SOS Steven Judith called emergency services from this approximate location after Apple watch detected a hard fall. You’re receiving this message because steven has listed you as an emergency contact.”
The trip to the ER would start months of recovery for Judith. He said in the first few hours while he was there, he said, “I actually thought this was going to be my time.”
At his house, he still has the scuffed-up helmet from that day and a few scars but he’s thankful for the life-saving tech on his wrist.
“There’s a part of me that wonder just how long I would have been there. I’m sure a car would have come by at some point but most likely you and I won’t be talking right now,” he said.
Those close to Steven have told him to consider a new workout routine but once he gets the okay from doctors later this year - you'll likely see the 70-year-old back on the bike.
“I don’t want to end the year on a bad note,” he said.
