Girl falls into manhole while texting, parents sue

[james.wired]

I had lost all faith in humanity long ago...but some things still make me sigh.

Girl Falls Into Manhole While Texting, Parents Sue | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Girl Falls Into Manhole While Texting, Parents Sue

* By Charlie Sorrel Email Author
* July 13, 2009 |

It's hard to decide who are the biggest morons in this story: parents or daughter. 15 year-old Alexa Longueira was walking along Victory Boulevard in Staten Island when she fell into an open manhole.

Why didn't she see it? You're ahead of me here. She was too intent on tapping out a text message to notice the gaping gap in the sidewalk and just dropped straight on in. Idiotic, yes, but now Alexa's parents are trying to blame someone else for their daughter's stupidity while making a little money into the bargain. They're suing the city.

I'm all for punishing people who walk the streets staring into the tiny screens of their cells. They're a danger to cyclists, for one, and at the very best they're an annoyance to normal pedestrians, the kind who actually look where they're walking. That Alexa's parents are not doing anything to teach her a lesson but instead are blaming city workers is quite ridiculous.

In this case, though, it appears that the girl isn't so dumb. Here's the erudite sentence she gave of the Department of Environmental Protection workmen's apology after they helped her out of the hole: “They were just, like, ‘I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”

And yes, her parents are also witty masters of the English language. The mother, Kim Longueira, speaking to MSNBC: “Oh my God, it was putrid. One of her sneakers is still down there”

Texting Teen Falls Down Manhole [MSNBC]
Photo: fdecomite/Flickr

 

[HAVOC]

Although this seems like a silly reason to sue on the surface, i'd be interested in finding out why the manhole cover was removed? I mean sure, "not looking were you are walking" is a stupid way to walk, but a missing manhole cover needs an explanation. That's pretty dangerous on a street. The city is certainly liable for such a dangerous misstep.

Regardless if the girl was texting, looking at the sky, singing a song, talking to a friend, the city is still liable. They will more than likely win a lawsuit.

 

[hikaricloud]

Dale's right, while the girl really should have watched where she was going, an uncovered manhole is definitely not kosher.

 

[H4x3r]

Thats my first thought...why was it open? and if they were doing work around it why was there no warning tape or anything? I have a bad habit of not looking down when i'm walking because i'm usually looking at my surroundings....as for the texting...it ticks me off when i see everyone taping on their cellphones trying to bang out another message....there is a time and place for texting...walking is not it..haha

 

[ricanflow]

Sorry, but im gonna have to side with the city on this one.

If she was paying attention, her dumb@#% wouldn't have fell....and lol at leaving a sneaker down there. Just because someone left it open, that doesnt give anyone an excuse to be stupid.

If a stoplight doesn't work, does that mean you can just drive right though it? me thinks not.

Attention to detail people.

 

[HAVOC]

Sorry, but im gonna have to side with the city on this one.

If she was paying attention, her dumb@#% wouldn't have fell....and lol at leaving a sneaker down there. Just because someone left it open, that doesnt give anyone an excuse to be stupid.

If a stoplight doesn't work, does that mean you can just drive right though it? me thinks not.

Attention to detail people.

That's common sense. I agree with were you are coming from. But from a legal standpoint, an open manhole cover is an immediate danger to civilians. The city has a liability to protect it's citizens from dangers that they control and own.

Like I said before, "it doesn't matter what she was doing when she fell in the hole, it's dangerous regardless.
Her parents will likely settle.

 

[Hefemeister]

The only thing that would save the city is if she fell through the barrier protecting the manhole.

 

[Peter.Cort]

The problem with society is you can't put a law on common sense. Things like this and the 'My coffee is hot, you never told me it was hot' would never do the damage they did.

 

[james.wired]

The city may be at fault IF the manhole was left open and without any sort of warning tape or cones or what have you, and that's too bad that there's no info on that. But that doesn't take away the point of this story. If she was walking without focusing on the phone, she most likely would have avoided it... intentionally. Workmen must have been around close (they are the one's who helped her out of the hole not firemen or citizens), so I would blame them in this case. As for the girl, maybe a common sense lesson was learned. As for the parents...take it as that and stop embarrassing your daughter.

 

[kmote]

What if she was blind instead of texting...