Texting Teen Falls Down Open NYC Manhole

[zengrifter]

Texting Teen Falls Down Open NYC Manhole

Saturday, July 11, 2009

A New York City teenager says she was text messaging while walking down the street — and the next second she was down a manhole.

Alexa Longueira was walking down a Staten Island block and was getting ready to text message when she fell into an open sewer manhole, MyFOX NY reports.

Longueira suffered mild cuts and bruises and is expected to recover.

The teen's mother says workers told her they left the manhole open and unattended for just seconds while they went to fetch some cones from their truck.

The Department of Environmental Protection says it is investigating.

"DEP is conducting a full investigation of what happened during a manhole incident on Victory Boulevard where workers were flushing a high-pressure sewer on Wednesday evening," said Mercedes Padilla, of the DEP. "We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery."

The Longueira family says they plan on filing a lawsuit.

xxx

[aslan]

Originally Posted by zengrifter

Texting Teen Falls Down Open NYC Manhole

Saturday, July 11, 2009

A New York City teenager says she was text messaging while walking down the street — and the next second she was down a manhole.

Alexa Longueira was walking down a Staten Island block and was getting ready to text message when she fell into an open sewer manhole, MyFOX NY reports.

*************

The Longueira family says they plan on filing a lawsuit.

xxx

The court will probably award her a box of band aids for her mild cuts and bruises, and $1 million for the City's violation of her first amendment right to text without government interference.

[N&B]

Are "texting while walking" laws in our future... after the "texting while driving" laws get passed? Stupid Government Tricks are afoot!

[aslan]

Originally Posted by N&B

Are "texting while walking" laws in our future... after the "texting while driving" laws get passed? Stupid Government Tricks are afoot!

Government does not want to come down too strongly on texters. They don't much care how they get a nation of zombies---texting, twitting, drugs, computer games, television, sports, gambling, drinking, and all manner of diversion. Baaaa!

[shadroch]

Originally Posted by N&B

Are "texting while walking" laws in our future... after the "texting while driving" laws get passed? Stupid Government Tricks are afoot!

After a teen was killed while talking on a cell while crossing the street, a NYC Councilman proposed making it illegal to talk on a phone while crossing the street.

[aslan]

I guess crossing the street while day dreaming is legal, since you can't prove when someone is day dreaming. What should be illegal is not paying attention when performing some activity that is potentially dangerous. That would cover texting, talking on the cell phone, reading a book, checking your email on your blackberry, etc. They don't have to get specific.