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Unable to Call, Stranded Biker Uses Twitter to Call Ambulance

by Amar Toor on August 3, 2010 at 03:20 PM

twitpic uploaded by leigh fazzina after bike crash
Last Tuesday, Leigh Fazzina was racing her bike through the woods in Connecticut when she suddenly drifted away from the rest of the cyclists competing in the mini-triathlon. As she was furiously riding downhill toward the main bike trail, her front wheel ran into some gnarly tree roots, and she crashed in a grand fashion. The 36-year old from Philly wasn't familiar with the Connecticut wilderness, and now found herself hurt, unable to walk, and without a cell phone signal to call her cousins for help. So, she turned to Twitter.

"I've had a serious injury and NEED Help!" she tweeted. "Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I'm stuck bike crash in woods." A few minutes later, no less than six people (including some strangers) called the local fire and rescue services, with some followers calling from as far away as California. An ambulance soon arrived at the scene, and Fazzina was rushed to the hospital.

According to David Redl of the CTIA-The Wireless Association industry group, it's actually not that uncommon to see stranded hikers or mountain climbers turn to Twitter when they can't get enough bars on their phone to place a call. "If you are at the edge of a (wireless) network, you'll have fringe coverage enough to get a text message through," Redl told USA Today. Officials at Twitter and national emergency response teams, however, say they can't remember anyone ever using Twitter to call for an ambulance.

Now, a week later, Fazzina is back home and doing well. She's still a little banged up, but suffered no broken bones, and is eager to get back on the trail. (You can see the video of the resourceful biker documenting her rescue below.) While we don't have the physical fortitude to do even a mini-mini-triathlon, and especially not in the thick of any wilderness, it's nice to know that if we ever find ourselves lost and wounded, we'll have a wide digital safety net below us. [From: USA Today]

Tags: Ambulance, bicycle, cellphone, connecticut, cycling, emergency, injury, top, triathlon, twitter

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