Mobile phones aren’t just an essential part of our day-to-day lives – that handset in your pocket could literally prove the difference between life and death.

That was certainly the case for a jogger who recently fell into the River Tees. As Claire Dransfield clung onto tree roots to avoid being swept away, she managed to make an emergency call on her phone. She was rescued, and said: “My phone saved my life.”

Many more people have had similarly lucky escapes. Take a look now at 10 ways your mobile could save your life.

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A woman was given the shock of her life after a bolt of lightning almost led to lights out.While nattering on her mobile at the top of her stairs, Claire McMahon’s roof was struck by a bolt of lightning directly above her head. As her mobile phone shot from her hand, she realised that - had it not been for the plastic backing of her mobile - she could have been frying like her phone battery. T3.com Two fishermen who found themselves stranded in shark-infested seas had their mobile phones to thank for their safe return to dry land.With their boat sinking in Australian waters, and with a complete lack of emergency equipment, the men spotted vessels that had been sent out to save them. Struggling to find anything suitable to arouse their attention, they grabbed their phones and waved their emitting lights.The men were politely reminded that the next time they decided to set sail, it might be worth throwing at least a few life jackets on board.

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Any creepy crawlies in the kitchen are unwanted guests. But the last bug you want to find is one considered among the most poisonous creatures on the planet.Pub chef Mark Williams found himself in that very predicament. While cleaning out his freezer, the fangs of a Brazilian Wandering Spider sank deep into his hand.Hospital staff were able to save him after pinging over a picture message to Bristol Zoo to identify the potent arachnid, and Mark was discharged from hospital a week later.

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One lorry driver’s struggle to pick up a decent reception saved him from suffering a crispy end. Phil Cole parked up his truck after assuming he had suffered a puncture. After he hopped out of the cab to search for a decent signal, his lorry burst into flames just 10 feet away. T3.com The last thing you expect to interrupt your lawn-mowing duties is a stray bullet. But that was exactly what happened to a man in Virginia, as his phone became his cellular saviour.R.J. Richard was cutting grass on his property when he was struck by a .45-calibre bullet shot from nearby woods. As Richard reached to his chest to feel for the wound, the bullet fell from the case of his Motorola handset. T3.com The kind of hound you’d clearly love to have by your side, Buddy the German Shepherd did more than raise the alarm when his owner suffered a seizure.Seeing his owner in distress, Buddy hit 911. After whimpering and barking down the mobile phone, police were sent to the residence. Before you look curiously at your doggy pal and wonder if he could possess such quick-thinking powers, Buddy was a trained assistance dog taught to call emergency services in such situations. T3.com An unfortunate wanderer and his dog were marooned by fog on Barvas Moor on the Herbridean Isle of Lewis for 14 hours, only to be saved by his portable blower. A rescue helicopter had struggled to pick up a fix on the hiker’s mobile signal, but were able to find him as he used his phone’s camera flash to guide in the chopper. The walker and his doggy companion were duly carried to safety. Microsoft Jeweller Darren Prior spends his life dealing with extremely valuable items. But even he would not have been able to put a price on the mobile phone that saved him from a bullet.Having been confronted by robbers in his shop in Horsham, West Sussex, Prior chased one of the crooks down an alleyway. Two shots were aimed at him. The first missed, but the second struck him in the chest. Luckily for Prior, the LG handset in his breast pocket absorbed the impact. He escaped injury-free, while the phone manufacturer was handed a marketing dream. T3.com British snowboarder Thomas Murphy found himself buried by an avalanche way up in the French Alps. Having managed to reach for his phone, he raised the alarm with a friend. But as darkness descended and he had not been rescued, his chances of rescue were melting.Urged by his rescuers to get his mobile shining brightly, the helicopter was guided towards Murphy thanks to flashes of light from him phone. T3.com A British doctor in Congo helped save the life of a teenage boy by texting his surgeon friend for some in-depth guidance.After the youngster lost part of his arm in a suspected hippopotamus attack, Dr David Nott sought the expertise of his British-based colleague to swiftly amputate the boy’s arm at the shoulder.Knowing the boy would likely die if he had not acted there and then, Dr Nott was given all the instructions to deal with the injury and saved the boy’s life. via:MSN