Posted on 7/30/2009, 6:38:05 PM by Wolfie
Texting-while-driving truck driver crashes into swimming pool
LOCKPORT — The driver of a tow truck texting on one cell phone while talking on another Wednesday morning crashed into a car at Tonawanda Creek Road North near Willow Wood Drive, injuring a woman and her niece, Niagara County sheriff's deputies said.
The flatbed tow truck then crashed through a fence and into a house before ending up in a swimming pool.
Chief Deputy Steven Preisch said the driver of the Adams tow truck, identified as Nicholas Sparks, 25, of Burt, admitted he was both texting and talking just after 8 a.m., when he hit the car on Willow Wood, which was stopped to make a turn.
"According to witnesses, he did not even stop, slow down or hit the brakes," Preisch said.
Sparks was charged with reckless driving, talking on a cell phone and following too closely. Preisch said deputies will be seizing his two cell phones and will request search warrants for the phone records to verify allegations the driver was talking on the phone.
"It's crazy the law [for texting while driving] is on the governor's desk. But it's irresponsible," Preisch said. "Here's an example where technology is progressing faster than the bureaucracy and laws can keep up. It doesn't make common sense."
Sparks was heading east on Tonawanda Creek Road North when he rear-ended the car of Lily White, 68, of Lockport, who suffered head injuries and was taken by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo. She was listed in good condition.
Her great-niece, Kiara McDowell, 8, of the Town of Lockport, who was in the rear seat, was taken to Women & Children's Hospital, Buffalo, for treatment of wrist injuries, Preisch said. She was later released. Sparks also was treated in ECMC for back and neck injuries.
Preisch said the flatbed truck was towing two vehicles, with two motor cycles on the bed.
Preisch said that after the collision with the car, the flatbed went through a yard and sideswiped a house at 6369 Tonawanda Creek, with one of the towed vehicles hitting the house, then continued through a privacy fence and into the in-ground pool.
He said the cleanup at the house, owned by Brad Kanel, took more than five hours. He said it was hard finding a truck big enough to pull the flatbed out of the family's pool.
A damage estimate was being tabulated.
Hey if Bill Gates can’t get Windows to multi-task without crashing, why should a human expect too?!
I thought there was going to be a law AGAINST it, not FOR it.
Every time I see some jackass talking on a phone while driving, I wish I was a cop for about ten minutes. I’d pull them over, smash their phone with my heel, and say “Have a nice day”.
Kinda makes me nostalgic for the good ole days of CB radios and that horrible 'Convoy' song!!
wow. a windows-bashing hijack on the first post! don’t see that everyday.
Yeah, the market for that sort of thing is pretty small.
Towing two cars adds a whole lot of inertia.
Well, it was pretty hot out yesterday - good time for a dip in the pool./sarc
Epic fail.
What are people thinking? It’s hard enough for people to talk on a cell phone, let alone texting while they drive. This guy deserves to spend some time in jail.
He was probably texting himself. People do that.
I have very brief conversations on my cell (except while I’m driving through farm country), so I would hope that no cop would pull me over.
I was stuck behind some jerk in the fast lane last week. I finally found a hole in the right lane and got back into it. As I inched my way by the fast lane blocker I saw he was texting! And totally oblivious to my watching him.
It only took about a second for me to decide to blow my horn.
It scared the hell out of him. His phone went flying too. It seriously made my day.
I had a friend who was in traffic sandwiched behind a woman in a car putting makeup on (lipstick and all) with her rearview mirror on her dash. Going 35mph on the freeway ignoring everybody.
Road rage got the better of him and he forced her off the road and gave her a tongue lashing. (I can’t believe she pulled over and stopped) LOL
Yeah. Someone needs to ping Swordmaker.
Series question: What is texting and why is everybody doing it?
I’ve been on the road quite a bit lately. One thing I’ve noticed everywhere I go, the person doing something stupid in traffic without exception is on the phone or texting.
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