Defined by UrbanDictionary as “an elongated rod, usually made out of plastic or steel, with a camera on one end and a dense moron on the other,” the “selfie stick” has become a lifestyle staple for sorority girls, tourists and presidents alike. But most selfie stick users are likely unaware of the device’s ulterior function: life-saver.
Earlier this month, a former marine named Derrick Johns and his 16-year-old daughter, Erynn, were enjoying their summer vacation in Nantucket. The pair was attempting to film the waves at Nobadeer Beach when tragedy struck. Out of nowhere, Derrick and his daughter found themselves caught in a riptide, but they somehow managed to dodge a near-fatal ending thanks to some quick thinking and an ordinary selfie stick.
The father and daughter struggled to free themselves from the riptide that relentlessly pulled at their bodies, dragging them farther out to sea. As documented in their video footage, they attempted to fight the relentless ocean, screaming “I can’t!” and “Come on!” Derrick’s wife, Jennifer, tried to help bring her family to shore, only to get sucked into the riptide herself. In a moment of adrenaline, Johns was able to use the selfie stick to propel his daughter to shore, into the arms of a stranger wearing an orange jumpsuit.
“I was a Marine, and I’ve been in some pretty harrowing situations,” Derrick said in an interview with The Boston Globe. “That one was the scariest, because it wasn’t just me, it was my wife and daughter.”
The moral of the story: if you ever believe yourself to be in a sticky situation, never fear — your life could be spared by an elongated hunk of plastic. Just not at Disney World, or you’ll get fined.