DTV Switch Saves Memphis Man's Life

Memphis, TN - A Memphis man says the switch to digital television saved his life.
During Friday's storm, a tree crashed through his bedroom.

"It could have been a lot worse, put it that way, a lot worse ," says storm survivor, Robert Monsarrat.

The tree destroyed just about everything inside 86 year old Monsarrat's home.
Some say it's a miracle he's alive, he says that miracle is thanks to the dtv switch.
He was watching his afternoon shows in the kitchen on the only tv that had a converter box.

"I couldn't watch it in the bedroom because I didn't have a box in there normally if I had a box I'd have been in my bedroom," says Monsarrat.

Monsarrat didn't completely escape harm, bandages are wrapped up his arms from cuts he received when the tree crashed also hitting part of the kitchen, but he says another lucky twist of fate had brought him to the V-A that same day.

"I had just been there Friday and had a tetnus shot for the first time in years and then all these cuts here they said is good thing I had the tetnus shot ," says Monsarrat.

Monsarrat's niece, Gail Clifton Johnson, and her daughter called for help from the neighbors and they pulled him from the debris, but Johnson says he's actually the hero, as a bronze star, World War II veteran his infantry freed a nazi war camp, Johnson says clearly it wasn't his time to go.

"I am so fortunate we are so lucky to be alive and my uncle is lucky to be alive too ," says Johnson.

Monsarrat says he's an avid tv watcher so he didn't want to miss his shows but hadn't gotten another converter box for his bedroom tv yet, he says one could say digital tv saved his life.

"I figured that if I had been in there I'd be pushing up daisies, to tell you the truth (he laughs), really, they'd been at my funeral."