Selfie sticks divide opinion. To many, they represent the absolute decay of western civilisation — as well as a damn hazard at cramped public events — while others see them as an essential tool in documenting even the most trivial moments of their day-to-day lives.
There is at least one person, though, who is sure-as-hell happy she was carrying one of the oft-derided accessories, which allow smartphone users to snap photos of themselves from distances greater than their human arms can muster.
16-year-old Erynn Johns was swimming at Nobadeer Beach, Nantucket with her father Derrick on 7 July when the pair became caught in a riptide. When mum Jennifer saw her husband and daughter struggling, she ran into the water only to dangerously struggle herself. “Even being athletic, there was nothing I could have done,” Erynn told The Boston Globe.
“They got pummeled in the tide for some time,” Derrick added. “All I saw was my wife and daughter not coming up.”
Fortunately, Erynn had her GoPro camcorder on a selfie stick attached to her wrist, which dad was able to use to pull the teen back toward shore. From there she was rescued by a fellow swimmer while lifeguards were thankfully able to assist Jennifer.
The entire ordeal was captured by Erynn’s camera and you can watch the footage below. Regardless of what you think of selfie sticks, I think we can say that, in this instance, they’ve justified their existence.
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Selfie stick image via Shutterstock
