Katharina Buczek
San Bernardino, California. Matthew Jaurequi went hiking in the San Bernardino mountains on December 21st.
He and his friend frequented the area often. But, on that particular Tuesday, Matthew nearly lost his life.
“We very quickly found ourselves in an unfamiliar position,” Matthew recalled, “An icy patch on the trail led to a slip, and I tumbled down the side of the mountain.”
Matthew fell nearly two hundred feet and hit a tree. This enormous fall caused him to sustain numerous life-threatening injuries– including a collapsed lung, broken ribs and wrist, a shattered spleen, and internal bleeding.
While in agonizing pain and stuck at an icy forty-five-degree angle, a miracle saved Matthew’s life.
He used a stick to dig himself out, and then he hit an iPhone buried under six feet of snow.
“Not knowing whether it was working or not, the SOS emergency function came to mind,” Matthew explained.
“I have always been a techie-gear-head with an interest in crisis response, and this opportunity to ‘test the skill’ saved our lives and could save others.”
GoFundMe; pictured above is Matthew with Sheriff J. Thompson, Deputy Sheriff San Bernardino County
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