Man’s life saved when bullet bounces off Motorola phone with Hulk cover

Next time someone lectures you about always having your phone at your side, you can point out that for one lucky man, having his phone was what saved his life.

A Brazilian man who was shot during an armed robbery had his life saved when the bullet was stopped by a Motorola phone in his pocket, according to images posted on social media by one of his doctors. What’s more, in a pleasingly serendipitous touch, the phone was housed in an Incredible Hulk case. 

• Read more: Best camera phones

Images of the bullet-struck phone were posted on Twitter by Pedro Carvalho, one of the doctors who treated the victim following the attempted robbery in a rural area of the municipality of Petrolina, Brazil. 

The medical team at University Hospital in Petrolina had feared the worst after hearing the man had been shot, but examinations revealed that he had only suffered light bruising to the hip, with the phone and its green-skinned superhero cover taking the worst of the damage. The phone and Hulk absorbed the shot so completely that the bullet didn’t even penetrate the skin!

Reportedly, police did not arrive at the scene in time to catch the would-be robbers, who had already fled the scene. By the time authorities arrive, the victim was already being treated by paramedics. 

The life-saving phone in question was reportedly a Motorola Moto G5, which isn’t currently on our guide to the best Motorola phones. We might have to revisit that – after all, how many of the others can boast that they’ve stopped a bullet? 

With that said of course, there’s no guarantee it would repeat the trick, and we do feel duty bound to caution adventurous readers against wandering through dangerous areas with a phone for protection. You might not be as lucky as our unnamed Brazilian Marvel fan. 

The most important news, though, is that the victim was absolutely fine, and was discharged from hospital and sent home shortly after being admitted, as Dr Carvalho confirmed on Twitter. The same, however, cannot be said for the phone. 

Read more: 

Best burner phones
Best budget camera phones
Bullet proof camera: the Leica M10-P Reporter