Man saved by Apple Watch loses lawsuit against county for bizarre reason

“…Oxley denied the request for additional time, pointing to the television interviews Prudenciano did outside of his home as evidence that his injuries were not severe enough to prevent him from contacting an attorney within 90 days.”

What you need to know

A man who fell from a cliff in New Jersey and was saved by his Apple Watch has lost his attempt to sue Monmouth County.
James Prudenciano fell from a cliff and suffered three fractures in his back as well as a broken leg.
A judge tossed his suit because it was filed late, and rejected a claim the man was too injured to seek an attorney and file a timely complaint.

A man who credited his Apple Watch with saving his life after a major fall in a New Jersey park has had his suit against the county thrown out because it wasn’t filed within the required 90 days.

APP reports:

Television interviews a hiker did in the days after his 20-foot fall off a cliff in Hartshorne Woods Park thwarted his attempt to get extra time to sue Monmouth County, according to a New Jersey Appellate Court ruling.
James Prudenciano made headlines in 2019 when a feature on his Apple watch detected the fall and called 911 with his location. But the fall also resulted in serious injuries that Prudenciano claims were caused because the trails in Hartshorne Woods were poorly maintained, marked and lit.

In October 2019 Prudenciano fell from a cliff into a river while on a date in Hartshorne Woods Park in Middletown. He broke his back in three places but his Apple Watch alerted emergency services to the fall, allowing him to be rescued. At the time, Prudenciano said that he credited his Watch with saving his life.

Prudenciano went on to sue Monmouth county over claims the trails were poorly maintained, marked, and lit, however, a judge tossed out the case because it wasn’t filed within the required 90 days. Lawyers ford Prudenicano told the court he was bedridden and immobile for three months, hence why the suit was not filed in time. However, the original judge in the case and an appeal court both ruled that Prudenciano should have been able to get legal help and file his case in time, as evidenced by the fact he appeared on TV to conduct two interviews with news outlets:

Plaintiff’s injuries were indisputably severe. However, as (Oxley) found, they were only partially debilitating and did not prevent plaintiff from seeking redress within the statutory time frame,” the appellate ruling said.

“(Oxley) correctly found that plaintiff’s claims are belied by the news articles showing him participating in an interview outside his home within the week after his fall.”

Apple’s health and emergency alert features continue to be one of its best Apple Watch features in devices like the Apple Watch Series 7. Last week a story of a young woman in Sydney emerged after a thyroid problem she had went unchecked for two months despite her Apple Watch picking up on her dramatic change in health.