Blackberry Saves Skier From Falling Into Crevasse

June 30, 2009 3:55 p.m. EST

London, U.K. (AHN) - A Blackberry proved to be a life-saving device for a British man when it prevented him from falling to his death after slipping into a crevasse while skiing in Switzerland's Matterhorn glacier.

The half-inch wide handset in David Fitzherbert's breast pocket kept him wedged and hanging in the crack of ice he slipped into until rescuers came to pluck him out.

"Fortunately, the extra inches of the Blackberry were enough to block the fall," said Fitzherbert, 52, told the Sun.

Fitzherbert suffered a broken jaw, teeth and chest bone. His nose was almost ripped off, but was reattached in a hospital in Bern.

The Blackberry was not damaged and Fitzherbert was still able to use it to call his wife during his 10-day treatment at the hospital.