BlackBerry credited with saving skier's life, serendipity left hanging

Not that we haven't heard a few miraculous gadgets-saving-lives stories before, but this one is in a league of its own. According to the always-embellishing Sun, one David Fitzherbert is thanking his smartphone after coming entirely too close to falling 700 feet to his death. As the story goes, he got wedged between a pair of rocks after losing control of his skis in the Matterhorn, and while we aren't quite sure why he chose RIM's BlackBerry over -- say, chap-stick, car keys, his wallet or a fattening breakfast -- he credited it with adding just enough width to his person to keep him wedged. Two hours after finding himself between a rock and a hard place, rescue crews arrived and flew him to a hospital where he used the "0.5-inch wide" phone to tell his wife that he had survived a nasty spill. We still say David owes a round of thanks to genetics, luck and Zeus, but hey, what do we know?

[Croooow @ Jun 30th 2009 8:45AM]

The iPhone is too thin to save lives

[216 @ Jun 30th 2009 8:50AM]

hahaha

[Aaron @ Jun 30th 2009 9:06AM]

Damn! You got there before I did.

I'll just up-rank you for your epic-ness

[Samboini @ Jun 30th 2009 2:59PM]

Has anyone checked to see if he wasn't a fat twat in the first place?

[Stephen @ Jun 30th 2009 8:47AM]

Fake. I don't know why people insist on eating this phony shit up.

[Aditya @ Jun 30th 2009 9:01AM]

@Stephen
STFU. I happened to read this article in today's edition of Business Line.

[mikesaville @ Jun 30th 2009 3:13PM]

Phony...get it?

hahahahaha

[anexanhume @ Jun 30th 2009 10:28AM]

While the story is true, whether or not the phone was the difference between life and death is only a guess on his part.

[Perspective @ Jun 30th 2009 9:04AM]

His Blackberry is also the reason he was skiing alone, since "Crackberry" fans have social problems that generally prevent them from, you know, losing their virginity.

[Aaron @ Jun 30th 2009 9:09AM]

And Apple fanboys display extreme narcissistic behavior, clearly evident in large quantities on Engadget news articles.

[Orinjz @ Jun 30th 2009 9:13AM]

MEOW!!! HISS!!! RARRRRR!!!!

They're just phones, kids; this isn't SRS BIZNIZ like the epic Sega vs. Nintendo battle of the 20th century. We lost a lot of good people then; we can't go back to that. We just can't.

[ilh @ Jun 30th 2009 9:16AM]

Did you lose your virginity to a sheep in Wales? I hear they are good for screwing, o wait wrong kind of sheep.

[Tracy in Cary @ Jun 30th 2009 1:50PM]

@perspective:

Quick Robin, to the Engadget Archives! We need to get the video clips of the iPhone 3GS grand opening so we can see what the "A-list" social elite look and act like!

ps: I hope this comment shows up in the right place.

pps: I hope this comment shows up at all.

ppps: Engadget, your comment system sucks.

[teasphere @ Jun 30th 2009 9:16AM]

The iPhone 3GS would have just overheated while he used the compass, but might have helped melt some snow before the GPS killed the battery in short order. (sadly I wish I was just trolling)

[Deuche ex Machina @ Jun 30th 2009 9:40AM]

Ah, but that heat and melting could have widened the gap he was wedged in and caused him to fall. Imagine: "iPhone 3Gs battery overheat kills man." Now THAT would be some flame bait.

'Whatever hardware I buy is flawless, and all else is junk.' The credo of the (insert manufacturer of choice here) fanboy.

[Josh @ Jun 30th 2009 9:37AM]

this easily ranks in the top 5 stupidest things i've read on engadget

pointless...

[haX0r @ Jun 30th 2009 9:38AM]

Can you hear me now?

[swimtedswim @ Jun 30th 2009 10:40AM]

thats verizon's saying and if the man had a blackberry Verizon would have taken out the save my life feature

[John @ Jun 30th 2009 11:10AM]

Serendipity?? Try Synergy!

[Al @ Jun 30th 2009 12:09PM]

"According to the always-embellishing Sun"

Pot meet kettle.

[ml021469 @ Jun 30th 2009 1:29PM]

LOL...nicely said.

[hank94jp @ Jun 30th 2009 12:13PM]

Maybe it was a 7250 with an extended battery. The story would make perfect sense, considering I wedged myself in a few doorways back when I had mine.

[kobioshi @ Jun 30th 2009 12:36PM]

um... Zeus? Really...

[mikecis @ Jun 30th 2009 8:26PM]

Wonder if he had to pull out the battery and reset the phone first to be able to call or have GPS work?

[barth @ Jun 30th 2009 1:05PM]

If only it was an iPhone huh?

[zenja @ Jun 30th 2009 2:33PM]

Man...I love Disneyland!

[Croooow @ Jun 30th 2009 7:18PM]

I hope people get it. I voted + for that one...

[joshua_w @ Jun 30th 2009 11:25PM]

Damn, beat me to it! That's the first thing I thought when reading this article. lol

[Jamesology @ Jul 1st 2009 7:55AM]

WOW its AMAZING!!! I swear so far it has been true and proven. EVERY Blackberry thread 50% of the comments are IPhone fans just bashing the phone, A PHONE! But when you go to a IPhone thread no Blackberry fans bashing the phone. It's amazing how emotional Apple fans get. As if they are always trying so hard to justify their stupid phone, a stupid little gadget that most lose or end up buying a new one every year. So far every July a new IPhone came out. Good thing I have a Nokia. NOKIA FTW