Siri Shortcut: Text an emergency contact if you have an accident

If you’re ever in an accident, the aftermath is a lot to deal with. You might be hurt, or you might have to deal with law enforcement. In either case, you should have a quick way to let an emergency contact know that you’ve been in an accident. A Siri Shortcut called ‘I got in a wreck’ does just that. It will text an emergency contact your current location, as well as your battery percentage and send along any medical information you configure within the shortcut.

I got in a wreck

You can import I got in a wreck from this link. The shortcut is saved to iCloud so when you import it to Shortcuts and run it, you won’t be prompted for confirmation to run it.

When you import I got in a wreck, you have to set up two things; your emergency contact numbers, and any medical information you want to include. It doesn’t automatically pick your emergency contacts nor does it get anything from your Medical ID.

Once you’ve set these two things up, the import will be complete. You can run the shortcut from the Shortcuts app, from its widget, or by telling Siri, I got in a wreck.

You will have to manually send the message. The shortcut will compose everything for you, including inputting the name of the contact you want to send the message to however, you still have to tap the send button. Once the message has been sent, it will also give you the option to call 911 or call your emergency contact.

If you do not reside in the US, and you intend to use this shortcut for emergencies, you should edit the actions and replace 911 with the number for emergency services in your country. If your country’s emergency services can receive texts about road accidents, or other types of emergencies, consider adding them as an emergency contact when you set the shortcut up.

I got in a wreck requires access to your location which means you must allow Shortcuts to access your location if you want to be able to share it. Location is sent in the form of longitude and latitude coordinates. Your contact will need to figure out how to open them. It’s simple enough; enter the two coordinates separated by a single comma in a maps app like Google Maps and it will pin point the exact location.

The shortcut is built for road accidents however, if you’re prone to medical emergencies, you can modify the text that is sent to let an emergency contact know you’ve had an episode. Also, don’t use this as a joke.