Police: Man, 19, was texting when he hit woman along highway

[uhnope]

Source: AP

HEILWOOD, Pa. — State police say a 19-year-old driver was texting about the time he hit a woman walking along a rural western Pennsylvania highway before leaving the scene.

A call to the attorney for Nicholas Patterson, of Clymer, wasn't immediately returned Wednesday.

Police charged him with felony hit-and-run from a fatal accident, texting while driving, and two other traffic citations Tuesday in the death of 45-year-old Leslie Bennett, of Clymer. Police say she was walking along Route 553 in Cherryhill Township when she was hit from behind by Patterson's vehicle Sept. 6 about 10:45 p.m. Her daughter was also walking but wasn't hurt.

Police say Patterson's attorney told them the teen was driving his father's pickup and kept driving because he thought he hit a deer.

Read more: http://www.wpxi.com/ap/ap/pennsylvania/police-man-19-was-texting-when-he-hit-woman-along-/nnrLb/

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I can't believe all the idiotic texters and cellphone blabbers I see while driving. Tired of these assholes.

[Lochloosa]

1. A guy ran a red light while texting and T-boned me.

4 years ago. Now I have chronic lower back pain. Life changing experience.

DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE

[GreatGazoo]

2. More dangerous that drunk driving but there seems to be no enforcement or fines

I was behind a driver today who was texting at a red light. The light changed and he was still texting, not moving forward. After 5 seconds I was about to give short honk when another driver, also texting, ran the now red light for the cross traffic. So it all works out...ugh.

[LiberalArkie]

3. One day a work mate and I were driving to a job and beside us on the freeway

a lady was towing behind her big pickup a huge outdoor smoker. She was doing 70 and eating a burger while talking to a lady passenger. We got out of there as quickly as we could.

[GreatGazoo]

5. In a light snow storm in NYC I saw one taxi rear end another.

The bumpersticker on the cab that got hit said "Do Not Tailgate"

The bumpersticker on the cab that did the hitting said "Drivers Wanted"

[pugetres]

4. I just spent the weekend at the hospital

because a young man was texting and speeding. He failed to stop at a stop sign and he hit my son who was on his scooter. My son was dragged 61 feet under an SUV.

Effing cellphones.

But, we had a miracle. My son reflexively grabbed hold of the undercarriage which kept him from being ran over by a wheel(s). He has extensive damage to his knee and road rash but it could have been so, so much worse.

[brer cat]

8. How terrifying, pugetres.

I am glad it isn't worse, but he will probably have a long recovery with that much damage to a knee. I hope he heals completely, and that all of you are able to find peace of mind.

[pugetres]

9. Thank you

He faces a couple more surgeries possibly. We'll know more after the follow-up with the ortho surgeon next week. But, one tendon was shredded and repaired in surgery. Another tendon was completely gone so he'll never again have full function.

I am so grateful that it was not worse.

[Archae]

11. I hope that driver has insurance.

My parents decades ago were T-boned by a drunk guy who ran a red light while drunk, and he was a lawyer who tried to pull any and every trick he could to get away with it.

Including blaming anyone and everyone including my parents for his drunken antics, that included picking a fight with a cop trying to arrest him for DUI and disorderly.

[pugetres]

18. The SUV driver's insurance was lapsed.

We'll figure out how to get things paid for. My son is on his dad's medical insurance, the state has an un/under-insured driver fund, I'll help out with the out of pocket. My biggest concern is his missing part of his junior year of high-school and his plans to possibly enlist in the air force for college money. He'll not be able to enlist now. Hopefully 2016 will see a bit of ease for our concerns in terms of college education.

[Sunlei]

26. Thank God your son survived! His knee must be so painfull, I hope he heals quickly and fully.

We have come a long way on quality of knee surgery and recovery from surgery. I hope he has a full recovery and can have all his dreams for Air Force & College without much delay.

[renate]

35. OMG, how terrifying and awful

I'm SO GLAD he kept his wits about him and survived, but oh, I am so sorry for what that idiot and his selfishness did to your son.

[Ohio Dem]

6. I think the penalty for texting while driving should be the same as drinking while driving.

I would rather meet a person with a buzz on a curve than a person texting.

[GreatGazoo]

7. maybe there needs to a campaign like MADD did where other drivers can report

out of control texters.

I had a Cadillac coming at me at 110 MPH (my 55 plus theirs), 4 feet over the centerline but she looked up in time to swerve back into her lane. I got about 40 new gray hairs.

[smirkymonkey]

29. I agree completely.

You cannot possibly have your eyes on the road and on your cellphone at the same time. I think it is just as dangerous, if not more so that DUI.

[NV Whino]

10. I had a pedestrian encounter with a textor.

During my weekly stint as a volunteer at the local hospital I was walking out to valet parking to retrieve wheelchairs when I saw a textor walking toward me on the wrong (my) side of the walkway. (When did Americans start walking on the left anyway? Drives me crazy.)

I kept walking until he was about 2' in front of me. Then I shouted, "Yo!" He just about jumped out of his skin. He didn't drop his phone, but he did move to the other side.

[Art_from_Ark]

17. Walking on the left side of a street is a traffic rule

So it's natural that people would walk on the left side of a walkway as well.

[NV Whino]

20. Um, no.

This is a recent phenomenon. And walking facing traffic applies to a road with no sidewalks.

[Gormy Cuss]

36. I have to agree wth NVWhino

People walking on sidewalks, walkways, in corridors and on stairs inside buildings general gravitate to the right.

[Archae]

12. I have a relative that texts and drives.

We keep chewing her out, but she will *NOT* stop.

[uhnope]

13. take if from her and turn it off. Or throw it out the window

[Archae]

14. The one (and only!) time I rode with her we got into a helluva argument.

From the moment she was on the street, she started texting.

I was chewing her out, she kept insisting she could text and drive.

I told her to get fucked, told her to stop the car, and got out of the car and walked back home.
About three blocks.

I simply refuse to ride with her, and tell everyone exactly why.

Doesn't even faze her.

[uhnope]

15. sounds like a wonderful person and positive force for society

is this her? http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1SBe4uH-60/TMHeAvkuIAI/AAAAAAAABJQ/ZWjnXyzZ4e4/s1600/text+driving+1.jpg

show her this

[appalachiablue]

22. That behavior sounds compulsive and addictive. May need professional help. I'm sure

the millions of tech geniuses around the world could create a way to disable the text (and call) feature of a phone while a person is driving or involved in a high risk safety activity, unless and if there is a real emergency.

So many people injured and killed over an unregulated, and obsessive, endless fixation and habit has to end.
Injury or death by text messenger or phone call should not exist in a modern advanced society or any other.

[mercuryblues]

23. there is an app for that

I have an app on my phone that will automatically text a person back. It says something like: I am driving right now. I will reply when it is safe to do so.

[appalachiablue]

25. Ah, that's great to know. How can it be implemented and enforced to prevent needless

damage I wonder -- in the 'free market' anti-regulation age!?

[mercuryblues]

27. texting

while driving is as, if not more, dangerous than drunk driving. If stopped the penalty should be just as many points on your license as a DUI.

Seriously, there is not one single text anyone could receive and reply to, while driving that is worth risking a life for.

[smirkymonkey]

30. You should report her to the police.

She is a danger to the public.

[YOHABLO]

16. I'm seeing this more and more. Innocent people being killed because of some young person texting.

It really has gotten out of hand. (thank you tech companies) let's make THEM pay. Sorry, but they need to start making an example of these people. What other recourse do we have? Send them to jail for 10 years. Maybe that'll make a dent in this.

[Midnight Writer]

19. In my little town, a 17 year old texter ran over a 5 year old kid

One innocent child killed, another young person's life ruined.

She also drove on, claiming she didn't realize she had hit anyone.

Must have been some pretty intense text.

[smirkymonkey]

31. God, that makes me so angry! What could possibly be so important?

I think people who text while driving need to be slapped with massive fines and after a certain number of offenses, have their licenses taken away. It's just as dangerous as driving drunk.

[kentauros]

21. While I don't like all the txtrs and cell-drivers,

after watching this Bill Moyers interview with Sherry Turkle, I have a better understanding of why people are so fixated on their devices:

Sherry Turkle Wants You to Look Up From This Screen and Talk to the Person Next to You

These quotes from the interview are rather telling:

"I share, therefore I am."
"Sending is being."

[customerserviceguy]

24. We're just waiting for the body count to climb

before we ban texting, period. You just have to unplug the SMS servers at the cell phone companies, and poof, the problem disappears.

We don't need texting, we all got along just fine without it twenty years ago.

[johnson_z]

28. Driving while texting is like driving with your eyes closed!

[hamsterjill]

32. It's illegal in my city. In fact, we are "hands free" only even for talking.

The problem is, we don't have enough police for it to be feasible to stop and fine the idiots that keep doing it. I see it all the time.

I was behind a young man in a small car on a very fast expressway earlier this week. He was texting and swerving all over the road, which I'm sure he didn't realize, because I'm sure that HE thinks he can multi-task!

[Javaman]

33. kept driving because he hit a deer..

anyone who hit something the size of a deer would do the normal thing, stop and inspect the vehicle.

he's full of shit.

[yellowcanine]

34. yes that is a bs excuse. He is a friggin liar.