Texting while walking accidents on the rise - AmericaNowNews.com

Texting while walking accidents on the rise

You've heard the dangers of texting while driving, but now it's going further. People are being hurt or even killed because they are texting and walking.

One city in Idaho has made it illegal to text while walking across the street and lawmakers in New York are considering the same thing.

On the University of Arizona campus it's a swarm of multi-tasking students with their heads down and fingers moving.

"In parking lots a lot of people walk in to poles. I mean, it's kind of funny," says student Megan Brenna.

While bumps, bruises and damaged pride can easily be laughed off for some, Cathy Cruz Moarrero's now infamous fall into a fountain still haunts her. Others have been seriously injured, or even killed while texting and walking.

In a nationwide study, 80 hospitals were chosen as test sights to report texting and walking injuries. The UMC Trauma Center in Tucson was one of them.

While only 1,000 ER visits were reported nationwide, Dan Judkins, UMC's trauma educator, says that's enough to raise some eyebrows. Judkins says that most of the injures involved with texting and walking were broken ankles, fractures and lacerations, but the consequences could be much worse.

"If you were to step off into traffic, like I saw almost happen last week, you could get hit by a car," he says.

He warns people to use common sense. Don't text your way into a hospital bed -- or worse!

Copyright 2011 America Now. All rights reserved.

  • Most Popular StoriesMost Popular Stories

  • Leeza Gibbons is currently the co-host of "America Now," the nightly syndicated TV news magazine and the TV show "My Generation" (on PBS stations).
  • Every pet owner knows a dog can get into just about anything around the house. One woman found that out the hard way when her dog ate a bunch of grapes! Turns out, that's one of the most dangerous foods
    Every pet owner knows a dog can get into just about anything around the house. But these common snacks could be fatal for Fido.
  • A simple 10-minute plan can help ease some of the headaches, and heartaches, that come with having your computer stolen.
Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and America Now. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.