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Texting and Talking Tow Truck Driver Crashes Into Pool
The mind-bogglingly reckless (and inept) multitasker was allegedly texting and talking while towing two cars -- he also had two motorcycles in the bed of his truck. The distracted driver then rear-ended the car of 68-year-old Lily White, careened through a yard, side-swiped a house, before finally dunking his flatbed and vehicular cargo into the in-ground pool of Brad Kanel.
Sparks has been charged with reckless driving, talking on a cell phone, and following too closely, but can't be charged with texting while driving since New York Governor David Paterson has yet to sign the law criminalizing it.
Thankfully, police confiscated Sparks' cell phones. Here's hoping that part of his punishment is being banned from ever using one ever again. [From: Buffalo News]
Teen Texting Craziness
Syracuse University professor Laurence Thomas made news last year for walking out of the classroom whenever his students disobeyed his "no texting in class" rule. Wouldn't the kind of student who would text in class be happy to have class canceled?
In January, 13-year-old Californian Reina Hardesty sent 14,528 text messages from her cell phone. Fortunately for her daddy, he had her on an unlimited text plan.
Two high school cheerleaders in Seattle were suspended from school in December when school officials found out that they had taken nude pictures of themselves on their cell phones and, mistakenly or not, wound up with them circulating through the football locker room. The girls' parents have filed suit against the school. You'd think they would just let the embarassment die quietly.
In December, while on a class trip (according to an Internet rumor anyway), the above message appeared on 18-year-old Elizabeth Frisinger's phone after mistakenly texting her dad, back home in Cleveland, that she'd just lost her virginity. Whoops!
Outdoing Reina Hardesty, 15-year-old Ohioan Paige Hornev averages 15,000 text messages a month. That comes out to the impressive, or pitiful, average of 500 text messages a day.
Thinking about Emily Jenning's texting abilities just makes our thumbs hurt. The Vancouver, British Columbia teen pumped out an absurd 41,600 text messages in the course of a single month -- we did some quick calculations and that works out to about one text every minute.
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Comments
48
Subscribe to commentsJordanJul 31st 2009 11:22AM
Cell Phones? As In plural? What a douche. He should loose his license.
ChadJul 31st 2009 12:03PM
ROFLMAOPIMP.......His license? He should be incarcerated for a VERY long time! He's lucky he didn't kill someone including himself. There should be a DUIS (Driving Under the Influence of Stupidity) charge. This would have been dangerous for someone in a car let alone someone towing not one but TWO cars!
Stephanie LongJul 31st 2009 4:13PM
"loose" = baggy, "lose" = to misplace
everyone does this incorrectly... "lose" is the correct spelling...there are not two o's people!!!
Hey YawlJul 31st 2009 6:30PM
Did anyone notice that this pool is a hotel pool and not a private pool? This picture is a fake.
wendygoerlJul 31st 2009 2:26PM
Chad said 12:03PM on 7-31-2009
ROFLMAOPIMP.......His license? He should be incarcerated for a VERY long time! He's lucky he didn't kill someone including himself. There should be a DUIS (Driving Under the Influence of Stupidity) charge. This would have been dangerous for someone in a car let alone someone towing not one but TWO cars!
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Yeah, but how do you measure stupidity? Can't put it in a breathalyser. Same with these texting-while-ddriving laws. Sure, texting's a stupid thing to do behind the wheel, but how do you actually catch one doing it before a crash? ("No, officer, I wasn't holding my cell phone, I just though my purse was starting to slide and shoved it back." or "I wasn't checking messages on my cel, I was checking the directions on my navigator.")
LaurelJul 31st 2009 2:40PM
Actually, it's simple. currently, prior to even trying to decide who actually was in the wrong, the first thing police do is check your license. If it isn't valid, you are guilty. I propose that the following become the second item checked: make it standard procedure to check the cell phone record of anyone involved in an accident--not the conversation itself but rather the existence of a call being conducted at the time of the accident. I you are on the phone when it happened--it's your fault!! Yes, you can talk while driving safely. I can also eat a hamburger, drink a soda, and look at scenery. But I don't do any of those things while struggling to drive during a blizzard. The point is they are distractions and distractions slow down your reactions to the mistakes of others....and in cases like the tow truck driver, cause them.
chevroletman90Jul 31st 2009 2:34PM
what an IDIOT! some poople cant get it throuh their thick skulls.stay off your cell phones while you drive,cuz it only takes one second to cause a serious accident.
heidiJul 31st 2009 2:50PM
The damn idiot could have killed someone he should be in jail. Too many people are on their phones texting what is wrong with these people. If he did that to my pool in my yard i wouild kill him immediately.
CMJul 31st 2009 2:48PM
This is perhaps the worst faked photo I have ever seen. The people and the side of the pool cast a shadow, but A CAR does not?! Shame on whoever is trying to pass this off as real news.
deaner911Jul 31st 2009 2:53PM
Uuuummmm IT"S USED AS AN EXAMPLE DUHHHHHHHH Didn't you read the article? FLATBED TRUCK!!
BoredinOCJul 31st 2009 3:37PM
deaner911 - don't be so harsh....CM was busy texting while looking at the pictures (since he/she obviously can't read the article and text at the same time)
Cora FellensteinJul 31st 2009 4:41PM
Actually there IS a shadow under the car along the edge of the pool.
maryJul 31st 2009 5:45PM
First of all, the car is too close to the walkway. Secondly, there is a shadow already alongside of the pool. Geez, I see idiots all day long talking on their cell phones. They don't use blinkers to switch lanes, they don't look to see if anyone is in the lane and they think that they are the only ones that matter. They should have their ears and hands should be cut off.
CalabazaJul 31st 2009 6:44PM
Duuuuh to you both. The flatbed truck hit the car, and the car went flying into the pool. Of course this isn't a picture of the actual incident.
deaner911Jul 31st 2009 2:54PM
How would "Red" say it.... "dumba$$"
KenJul 31st 2009 3:01PM
Give the poor guy a break! He was going to have all the vehicles washed before heading back to the shop.....
wendygoerlJul 31st 2009 3:08PM
Actually, it's simple. currently, prior to even trying to decide who actually was in the wrong, the first thing police do is check your license. If it isn't valid, you are guilty. I propose that the following become the second item checked: make it standard procedure to check the cell phone record of anyone involved in an accident--not the conversation itself but rather the existence of a call being conducted at the time of the accident. I you are on the phone when it happened--it's your fault!! Yes, you can talk while driving safely. I can also eat a hamburger, drink a soda, and look at scenery. But I don't do any of those things while struggling to drive during a blizzard.
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Like I said, how do you catch one doing it BEFORE THE CRASH? (i.e. when the cop doesn't know whose cel it moght be and therefore can't check if it's active. And I don't know where you are, but here in Wisconsin it's been illegal to consume ANYTHING while operating a motor vehicle since long before these seatbelt and cel laws started getting everyone's attention. Maybe you can drive safely whith a cel or coffee in one hand while driving in an oridinary manner on a familiar route, but you have no time margin to get both hands on the wheel if something extraordinary happens. And the difference between yapping on a cel phone and talking to a the person next to you or on a CB is that the person on the other end of a cel connection isn't thinking about how much attention you might have to pay to the road, because they're not looking at a road themselves to remind them that there's times when you can'ta nser right away.
FRANKJul 31st 2009 3:23PM
IF ANYONE CAUSES AN ACCIDENT THAT INVOLVES ME AND IT'S BECAUSE OF TEXTING, OR USING A CELL PHONE , THE REAL THREAT ON THE ROAD WILL BE ME ! I WILL MAKE THAT PERSONS LIFE A LIVING HELL. I DON'T HAVE A CELL PHONE OR WANT ONE , DRIVING USED TO BE A PLEASURE BEFORE WE HAD TO LOOK OUT FOR ALL THE MO MO'S WITH THEIR EARS GLUED TO THOSE THINGS. THEY CAN'T EVEN USE THE DIRECTIONALS BECAUSE THEIR HANDS ARE OCCUPIED! IDIOTS !
LitaJul 31st 2009 3:12PM
Everytime I read about a story like this or see a story on the news about this stupidity, I selfishly think, what a shame the fool wasn't killed. This way, they won't be out on the street and take the life of some innocent driver or pedestrian. Heaven knows we all know of instances where this has happened. A number of so-called driving professionals have been caught doing this--driving commuter rail (killing 25), public buses, etc. It's just like the excuses used for decades when it came to drunk drivers--oh, but for the grace of God go I. Of course, we're still not there for DUI; I just saw a story about a man who had been busted for his 17th DUI. At a certain point, we all must be protected from these people and a lifetime behind bars is the only way.
ZippyAug 10th 2009 1:45AM
Texting while driving is done by IDIOTS!
What's YOUR life worth?
Or - the life of another human being?
The police -- if they can catch the idiot text person,
should be to give out a VERY, VERY hefty ticket.
Actually, a driver's license suspension
should be part of the punishment, along
with the very costly ticket and automatic traffic
school. NOT the on-line traffic school.