Phone saves man from gunshot

2008-11-21 12:00

Covington, Louisiana - RJ Richard says he doesn't normally put his cellphone in his chest pocket. But he says it saved his life the one time he did.

The 68-year-old man from Covington, Louisiana, was mowing the lawn on his two-hectare property when a stray bullet from nearby woods struck that cellphone. He figured a rock kicked up by his tractor hit him. That is, until he took out the phone and a .45-calibre bullet fell from its case.

Richard told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans he doesn't think it was a coincidence, either.

"I look at this as God telling me to put my cellphone in that pocket, and I'm grateful and humbled," he said.

Doctors told Richard the bullet came at an angle, which along with the cellphone probably prevented serious injury.

Deputies are investigating the case, St Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said. He said the case should serve as a serious warning that people should consider the consequences before firing a gun.

However, Strain said investigators don't believe the shooting was intentional.

- AP