BlackBerry Saves Skier From Death Plunge

By Jess Kilby, Newser User

Posted Jun 29, 2009 3:51 AM CDT

(Newser) – A British skier who fell into a crevasse in the Swiss Alps was saved from plummeting 700 feet to his death when the BlackBerry in his breast pocket stopped his fall, the Telegraph reports. The extra width of the half-inch-thick gadget kept David Fitzherbert, 52, wedged firmly in place for two hours until he was rescued. The fall broke his jaw and nearly tore off his nose, but the PDA is still working.

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Who knew a Blackberry could save a life in the Alps? (AP Photo/Research in Motion)

Skiers and snowboarders enjoy the perfect conditions in front of the Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt in southwestern Switzerland late last year. (AP Photo/KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott)

David Fitzherbert was skiing off-piste in the Matterhorn region of the Swiss Alps when he fell down a deep crevasse and was saved by the Blackberry phone wedged in his front pocket. (AP Photo/Keystone,Olivier Maire)

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After 70 feet it narrowed and I became stuck like a cork in a bottle between the walls. Fortunately, the extra inches of the Blackberry were enough to block the fall.

- David Fitzherbert

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