Hit-and-run survivor grateful for MacBook that acted as an 'armor plate' saving her life

Adhering to road safety measures is important to ensure you, as well as, the people around you don't get hurt in public spaces. As per a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 29,000 people lost their lives in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the first nine months of 2024. Taking care of simple yet basic traffic rules has saved the lives of many, including that of a woman who was left severely injured following a hit-and-run. But apart from the helmet she was wearing while riding her bike, an unexpected thing saved her life, or more specifically her spine. It was her MacBook. The woman, who goes by @hornsberyy.seqs_22 on TikTok, shared the incident details in a post that has now gone viral. 

"POV: You survived a truck hit and run because you wore a helmet and your MacBook acted as an armor plate in your backpack," the woman wrote in the text overlay. She shared a picture of herself lying on a hospital bed after the accident. "Okay, but I look pretty good for someone who got hit by a truck," she joked. The next slide in her post showed a person displaying the condition of the woman's broken helmet, which had done its job by protecting her head. She suffered broken ribs because of the accident and had to be given a good dose of pain medication but she was safe overall. The woman admitted that she had even accidentally tried to "crack her back" because she had forgotten about her broken ribs. 

The video also showed her MacBook Pro which had a major dent and was bent because of the impact from the road accident. The caption read, "Apple, your product is quite literally a lifesaver, although now completely destroyed. But my spine is grateful for the sacrifice." The video received more than 1 million views and over 113,000 likes. People took to the comments section to wish the woman a speedy recovery. Others shared their own experiences of how a MacBook helped them or how it survived tough situation.

@piperliketheplane wrote, "My dad’s MacBook pro survived a plane crash in his computer bag (dad didn’t tho) and I proceeded to use it for 3 years until a spilled diet coke took it out." @kaitgrrr commented, "If you still have your helmet sometimes the manufacturer will send you a new one in exchange for the original and the accident report to study for improvement." The creator responded, "Oh that’s so cool! I’ll definitely reach out! Will 100% be keeping this brand after this (the accident)." In another comment, she explained, "I felt so embarassed wearing my helmet when riding onto campus or off of campus but damn am I grateful I did."

@fabulousmonsters remarked, "I worked at the genius bars. One time a customer came in with a beat up MacBook. It had saved him from a huge hail storm we had the day before. (Golf ball-sized hail) We gave him a new one." @georgiapeach shared, "A helmet saved my life! The bike shop owner hugged me and told me through tears that when he’d seen bikes in the same shape before, the cyclists didn't usually make it. Bike was bent in half." After a few months, the woman shared another video where she had recovered and the accident hadn't left any major scars behind.

You can follow @hornsberry.seqs_22 on TikTok for more lifestyle content.