How An iPhone 5c Saved A Man's Life

When Apple launched the iPhone 5c in September 2013, it looked a bit different from other iPhones because it was available in five colors and it was built with a hard-coated polycarbonate body instead of an aluminum enclosure. The iPhone 5c was heavily criticized because it was not priced as low as analysts were predicting and because it appeared to look “cheap.” The notion about the iPhone 5c being made with cheap components may change because the device helped save someone’s life. Last year, a British man named Daniel Kennedy was shot by a sawn-off shotgun and he survived because an iPhone 5c was in his pocket — which ended up taking the “brunt of the blast.” On October 15, 2014, a group of teenagers gathered around the St. Michael’s View apartment complex in Widnes, England, which is a block of flats where Kennedy lives. The teenagers were known for intimidating some of the residents and even turned off the water supply to the flats. After returning from home and walking his dog, Kennedy noticed that his water was turned off. Fed up with the intimidation, Kennedy decided to confront the teenagers. Shortly after a scuffle took place, Kennedy started to chase 19-year-old Ryan Duggan down a footpath. After being chased around the apartment building, Duggan turned around and shot Kennedy with a shotgun. Kennedy fell to the floor, but he managed to get up and alert the authorities. Police retrieved the firearm under a bush, which was wrapped in clingfilm and the spent cartridge inside. Detective Inspector Gary McIntyre said that if his iPhone 5c (pictured below) was not in Kennedy's pocket, “he would have undoubtedly have died.” The victim is still being treated for his injuries, says the Cheshire Police report.