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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Reach out and touch a tree

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

"I was heading back to school and I was driving along route 5. I got a text message, I just looked down briefly and when I looked back up, it was a curve that I wasn't expecting," says Christina Curtis from her hospital room at ECMC, "I lost control of the car, swerved off the road and hit a tree."

Curtis, 20, from Williamsville, was driving back to SUNY Geneseo when she crashed.

"It was scary," she says.

Her car slammed into a tree on route five in the Town of Pembroke. She called 911 and in minutes rescue crews showed up and brought her to ECMC.

"Over that five minutes are you thinking, God I shouldn't have answered it," asks Kristin Donnelly.

"Yeah, yeah, I just couldn't believe it. I mean (this is bad) but I do text when I'm driving and I never think anything is going to happen," Curtis answers.

Last June five Fairport teenagers died in a car crash, on the same road, route 5, fifty miles from Curtis' crash. Authorities believe texting played a role in that crash, too.

Kristin Donnelly asks, "Will you text and drive?"

"No, no never... never again," she answers.

Curtis won't be able to drive for a while. She'll need surgery to repair her shattered heel bone and will walk with crutches for months.

"I feel really lucky," she says.

She hopes others will think twice before they text and drive after hearing her story.

Lawmakers have proposed a bill that would ban texting and driving in New York State. It's in committee in the state legislature.

WGRZ-TV/wgrz.com

Submitted on 04/29/2008

Submitted by: shotsky
Reference: wgrz.com 4/28/08

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
Love it! Hate it!
>> Moderator Scores <<

Chip said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
I am divided between too common and an honorable mention here. I will vote neutral and let the others have a say. Thanks for the story, shotsky


Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
I think this sort of thing is way too common. Drivers have been getting distracted for years doing all sorts of things from eating to putting on makeup to changing clothes while driving. Getting distracted by a cell phone is just more of the same as far as I'm concerned. Thanks just the same.


Tracy said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
People think they're invincible while driving, and do lots of stupid things - I don't think this is unique enough to earn a DA


James said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I am willing to keep this because the nominee owned her stupidity. Few such people do! Maybe it will serve as a lesson to others, maybe not, but I like the confession! Thanks, Shotsky!


Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Teenage idiocy...boring. The only reason I say keep is so others can see that IT IS OKAY to own up to your mistakes.


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