Girl Falls Into Manhole While Texting, Parents Sue

[sonic21]

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/girl-falls-into-manhole-while-texting-parents-sue/


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”

[CubanMustGo]

Like, you know, life isn't fair, so, like, deal with it.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

The scary thing is that they might have something to work with here. Don't get me wrong, I think this girl is a moron and I want to slap some sense into her and her parents. But shouldn't there have been some sort of actual physical barrier around the hole? The article makes it sound like there was just an open hole in the middle of the sidewalk. A blind guy could have fallen in.

[resistanze]

:lmao

But seriously, are manholes usually just open without barriers?

[resistanze]

The scary thing is that they might have something to work with here. Don't get me wrong, I think this girl is a moron and I want to slap some sense into her and her parents. But shouldn't there have been some sort of actual physical barrier around the hole? The article makes it sound like there was just an open hole in the middle of the sidewalk. A blind guy could have fallen in.

Beat me to it.

[I. Hustle]

OMG IDK wats rong w/ her. lol

[I. Hustle]

:lmao

But seriously, are manholes usually just open without barriers?

You seem very interested in open man holes.

[resistanze]

You seem very interested in open man holes.

...Is that an offer?

[Sense]

The scary thing is that they might have something to work with here. Don't get me wrong, I think this girl is a moron and I want to slap some sense into her and her parents. But shouldn't there have been some sort of actual physical barrier around the hole? The article makes it sound like there was just an open hole in the middle of the sidewalk. A blind guy could have fallen in.

Yes... anyone that knows about any type of labor safety should know they need to put a barricade around it.

They could actually get some money off of it.... and honestly.. I would do the same thing.

[spursfan09]

Thats funny, the girl has no sense? What about the dumbass who just left the manhole open. If he/she had any sense, then maybe the thought that somebody could fall in might have popped into thier head.

[Frenzy]

could have been just some punks lifting man holes..and getting a kick out of it

[jacobdrj]

The scary thing is that they might have something to work with here. Don't get me wrong, I think this girl is a moron and I want to slap some sense into her and her parents. But shouldn't there have been some sort of actual physical barrier around the hole? The article makes it sound like there was just an open hole in the middle of the sidewalk. A blind guy could have fallen in.

Yep. If that is the case, doesn't matter if she is texting or not. Open manholes have to be completely protected. There are 2000 year old law books that talk about this stuff. It is common sense.

[jman3000]

I take pride in my ability to text without looking at the phone.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

How To Make A Quick $200,000.

1. Find a manhole cover on a sidewalk you frequent.
2. Ask a friend to remove the cover.
3. Walk down sidewalk and pretend to fall in while texting.
4. Sue the city for $2,000,000 and settle for 10% of that, making some mediator look like a brilliant negotiator.
5. Send an "lol, im rich" text to all your buddies.

[sabar]

How would a blind person fall in? They have a white cane or a dog, neither of which is as retarded as this girl.

[tp2021]

How To Make A Quick $200,000.

1. Find a manhole cover on a sidewalk you frequent.
2. Ask a friend to remove the cover.
3. Walk down sidewalk and pretend to fall in while texting.
4. Sue the city for $2,000,000 and settle for 10% of that, making some mediator look like a brilliant negotiator.
5. Send an "lol, im rich" text to all your buddies.

The Chopper guide to getting rich quick!

[spursfan09]

O so wow. Young girls who text while walking deserve to fall down manholes. Remember that next time you see your daughter or sister texting while walking.

[Strike]

How would a blind person fall in? They have a white cane or a dog, neither of which is as retarded as this girl.

win

If there was no barricade, sign, or warning around the open man-hole, the city is partially responsible. But this stupid broad is also partially responsible as well. PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, STUPID!!!

[Strike]

O so wow. Young girls who text while walking deserve to fall down manholes. Remember that next time you see your daughter or sister texting while walking.

If I had a daughter, I'd tell her to look where she was going! My sister is worthless so I wouldn't care.

[spursfan09]

If I had a daughter, I'd tell her to look where she was going! My sister is worthless so I wouldn't care.



Eh. I knew I was going to get that response. :)

[Strike]

Eh. I knew I was going to get that response. :)

Have I developed a reputation?

[sonic21]

6Hk-ru57A-c

[Bender]

O so wow. Young girls who text while walking deserve to fall down manholes. Remember that next time you see your daughter or sister texting while walking.
:bang how about people having JUST A LITTLE COMMON SENSE, and watching where they are going. Its not just manholes, what about walking in front of a car or truck, or walking into a light pole or something...

[jacobdrj]

Manholes being open in the middle of a street is not normal. A Truck driving through an intersection is.

[spursfan09]

Have I developed a reputation?

No. I just knew someone would say they don't care if that happens to thier sister.

[spursfan09]

:bang how about people having JUST A LITTLE COMMON SENSE, and watching where they are going. Its not just manholes, what about walking in front of a car or truck, or walking into a light pole or something...

I see where you are getting at, but walking into a manhole is different from walking onto the street into a car or bus.

I don't always look down when I'm walking, usually I look forward. When I cross the street i always look both ways to make sure I am not stepping in front of a car. I'm not always checking to see if I'm about to step into a manhole. It's unexpected. You expect for a car to be on the street.

[Melmart1]

Is the big deal that she was texting? Because there are about a million things she could have been doing other than texting that still would have distracted her from seeing the manhole. Would you still think she is a dumbass? Because I think the real dumbass here is the crew chief who didn't put up a barrier. People don't generally look out for open manholes because there aren't supposed to be any without some type of warning.

[Wild Cobra]

The scary thing is that they might have something to work with here. Don't get me wrong, I think this girl is a moron and I want to slap some sense into her and her parents. But shouldn't there have been some sort of actual physical barrier around the hole? The article makes it sound like there was just an open hole in the middle of the sidewalk. A blind guy could have fallen in.
Yes, exactly.

Any safety training I have had requires you put up the cones, barriers, etc. before you create a potential safety problem.

This family will make millions. I disagree with that, but the law is on her side.

[Hooks]

Lol idiot, she needs to stop texting and pay attention!

It pisses me off when people are focused on texting paying no attention to where they're going.


-Sent from my iPhone

[sabar]

I dunno, she looks pretty dumb. Probably would of walked through the cones into the hole anyways.

If the government wasn't protecting us from ourselves, I wonder how much money could be saved on excessive cone expenditure.

I'm sure everyone here has not paid attention and sprained an ankle going off a sidewalk or the like. Maybe we need railings! I screwed my ankle up bad when I was a kid when I mis-stepped onto the street off the sidewalk. The girl just got some scrapes.

I need to find a way to cash-in some day from my dumb mistakes :greedy
Who do I sue if I broke my arms hitting a pot hole bicycling on roads in a gated community? I'm pretty sure the city has no say in those roads.

[resistanze]

I'm sure everyone here has not paid attention and sprained an ankle going off a sidewalk or the like. Maybe we need railings! I screwed my ankle up bad when I was a kid when I mis-stepped onto the street off the sidewalk. The girl just got some scrapes.

Actually, I'd say your reasoning here supports the girl. The fact that it could have been anyone that wasn't paying attention, combined with the fact that an open manhole SHOULD be barricaded for it a case. If she hadn't just got scrapes and broke her neck, would she have a case then?

Don't get me wrong, people should really freaking watch where they're walking (especially dumbass texting teenagers), but I don't see how they can justify leaving a manhole open.

[MannyIsGod]

Manholes being open in the middle of a street is not normal. A Truck driving through an intersection is.

The manhole was on a sidewalk.

[Sir Larry Wildman]

She should be awarded no more than 50,000 Dollars,and then fined 45,000 Dollars for entering a city work zone without the proper permits.

[EricB]

God this country needs tort reform, BAD.

[Richard Cranium]

God this country needs tort reform, BAD.

You wouldn't have fit through the manhole so you are safe.

[Latka]

Lol idiot, she needs to stop texting and pay attention!

It pisses me off when people are focused on texting paying no attention to where they're going.


-Sent from my iPhone while driving an 18 wheeler

Fixed

[JustBlaze]

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!”I LOL'd.