A tragic road accident in Taiwan has claimed the lives of four family members after a car suddenly veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a gravel lorry, leaving only one survivor.
The fatal crash occurred on Tuesday morning in Xinwu District, Taoyuan City, when a private car crossed a traffic divider for reasons that remain under investigation before smashing into an oncoming lorry.
The 60-year-old female driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while three passengers who suffered severe injuries later died in hospital. The victims were identified as relatives of the driver, including her cousin, cousin’s wife and another close family member.
According to local reports, the group had just attended the funeral of the driver’s father and were on their way to a family meal when the tragedy unfolded.
The sole survivor was a woman seated in the front passenger seat. Remarkably, her Apple Watch automatically detected the impact and triggered an emergency call, helping authorities respond quickly to the scene.
Emergency services received the automated distress signal at about 11.58am. The smartwatch reportedly dialled emergency services after detecting a severe collision and transmitted GPS coordinates through an automated voice message.
After the automated alert ended, emergency personnel were able to communicate with an individual believed to be the injured passenger, allowing rescuers to pinpoint the location and dispatch assistance immediately.
The surviving passenger, believed to be around 60 years old, sustained only minor injuries and remained conscious when transported to hospital. She later told authorities that everyone in the vehicle had been chatting moments before the crash and that she was unsure what caused the vehicle to lose control.
Dashcam footage from the lorry showed the white sedan travelling normally before suddenly crossing into the opposite lane and colliding almost head-on with the heavy vehicle.
The force of the impact was devastating, tearing off much of the car’s roof and leaving the vehicle severely mangled. Debris was scattered across the roadway as emergency crews rushed to assist the victims.
The 35-year-old lorry driver suffered minor injuries and was not believed to be in life-threatening condition.
The incident has drawn widespread attention due to the role played by the Apple Watch’s crash detection feature, which enabled emergency responders to reach the scene quickly despite the severity of the collision.
Authorities are continuing investigations to determine what caused the car to cross into the opposing lane before the fatal crash.
