At first glance, the iPhone 5S looks like the result of a severe bend test. That bend, however, was the result of a gruesome mini-bus accident that left two others dead. A metal bar from the mini-bus speared the Muscovite’s side, but thanks to the presence of his iPhone 5S in the side pocket of his jacket, his life was spared, as his smartphone took the brunt of the hit.
Information about how the crash occurred, or where the mini-bus was going, wasn’t reported. What is known is that if the iPhone 5S hadn’t been where it was when the crash occurred, the Russian gentleman would have ended up dead from his injuries.
This isn’t the first time an iPhone saved its owner’s life from a fatal injury, either. Back in May, a British man survived an encounter with a close-range shotgun, as his iPhone 5C took the main force of the blast. Though he still received medical attention, he would have died had it not been for the iPhone 5C being in his breast pocket.
It’s only fair to point out that it has not just been iPhones that have answered the call in life-or-death situations. Last August, a Chinese man’s life was saved by his Samsung Galaxy Mega after a close encounter with a modified gun resulted in a bullet going cleanly through his arm and hitting the smartphone.
And before that, in May of 2014, a Nokia Lumia 520 prevented a Brazilian police officer from getting shot close to his buttocks. It may not sound like a life-threatening injury, but given Brazilian authorities’ relatively long response times, the phone could have prevented him from bleeding out.
So should our smartphones be considered protective gear?
