They suffered a hand injury that temporarily prevented biometric authentication

Survives

Case description

A hardware wallet user had stored their seed in a digital safe that required a biometric fingerprint to open. In May 2016 they suffered a hand injury that temporarily prevented biometric authentication and permanently altered their fingerprint pattern. The safe manufacturer's override process required the original purchase receipt, which could not be located.

Custody context

Stress condition	Seed phrase unavailable
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2016
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Hardware device required

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible under the reported conditions.

Source

Publicly Reported

Evidence type

Forum post

Evidence link

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=255793.0

Related cases involving seed phrase unavailable

146 cases involve seed phrase unavailable 274 cases involve hardware wallet (single key) View archive statistics →

This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case

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Framework references

Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority

Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.

Professional Scope Boundary Matrix

What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.

The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody

How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.