Too bad she didn't break her neck

[syciprider]

http://wcbstv.com/local/texting.manh...2.1081403.html

Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting

It was an accident waiting to happen -- an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked.

Alexa Longueira, a high school sophomore, was walking along Victory Boulevard near Travis Avenue on Staten Island Wednesday evening when she felt the earth move and was plunged into smelly darkness.

She said the manhole she fell in to was left open and unattended with no warning signs or orange cones. She said two workers with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection failed to secure the area as they prepared to flush the sewer.

"It was just really gross and it was shocking and scary," she said. "Because of their careless mistake I got hurt." (ambulance chaser coaching)

Longueira has deep cuts and bruises and said she now has nightmares about falling, But she also did admit she was texting at the time.

"Regardless of whether I'm texting or not if there was a cone there I'm going to see a big orange cone," (no you won't because you were distracted) she said. "I walk that sidewalk every day, I don't expect a big hole there."

Longueira said she was helped out of the five-foot deep sewer by an apologetic DEP worker.

She went to the hospital and the city opened an investigation, issuing the following statement:

"We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery."

The Longueira family wants more than get well wishes. They may sue (Yup). Alexa's mother, Kim, said: "It could have been an elderly person, a mother pushing a stroller. It could have been anyone."

Alexa lost one of her sneakers in the sewer. She does not want it back.

The girl's mother said Alexa will see more doctors next week to get an MRI and check for damage to her spine.

[username n/a]

Wow, not only is she stupid but ugly to boot.

[jmcgliss]

Of course someone had to mention "a mother pushing a stroller". Babies are essential props for eliciting sympathy in our victim/tattletale society.

[capnsandwich]

This is going to be an ugly court case. Looks like they're already out to get millions from the city. I kind of want to see video. Is that wrong?

[satchelbsamia]

did she land face first at the bottom? sheesh...

[john turner]

Originally Posted by syciprider

http://wcbstv.com/local/texting.manh...2.1081403.html

Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting

It was an accident waiting to happen -- an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked.

Alexa Longueira, a high school sophomore, was walking along Victory Boulevard near Travis Avenue on Staten Island Wednesday evening when she felt the earth move and was plunged into smelly darkness.

She said the manhole she fell in to was left open and unattended with no warning signs or orange cones. She said two workers with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection failed to secure the area as they prepared to flush the sewer.

"It was just really gross and it was shocking and scary," she said. "Because of their careless mistake I got hurt." (ambulance chaser coaching)

Longueira has deep cuts and bruises and said she now has nightmares about falling, But she also did admit she was texting at the time.

"Regardless of whether I'm texting or not if there was a cone there I'm going to see a big orange cone," (no you won't because you were distracted) she said. "I walk that sidewalk every day, I don't expect a big hole there."

Longueira said she was helped out of the five-foot deep sewer by an apologetic DEP worker.

She went to the hospital and the city opened an investigation, issuing the following statement:

"We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery."

The Longueira family wants more than get well wishes. They may sue (Yup). Alexa's mother, Kim, said: "It could have been an elderly person, a mother pushing a stroller. It could have been anyone."

Alexa lost one of her sneakers in the sewer. She does not want it back.

The girl's mother said Alexa will see more doctors next week to get an MRI and check for damage to her spine.

my wife fell into an un-locked manhole a few years ago. it flipped sideways and trapped her leg in it, because the idiots who worked on it didn't lock it down when they were done. she was alone, it was late at night, and she was trapped with a very heavy manhole trapping her leg.

she was lucky the thing didn't break her leg. she was lucky a car didn't drive by and hit her. she was lucky she didn't fall all the way in and fall the 20+ ft to the bottom of the sewer. i was in the hospital at the time, so i couldn't even help her. she had to pull herself out alone.

i know folks love to find some random event to point at and try to chalk it up to "carelessness" and "tattletale society" but the fact of the matter is that here, like in the situation with my wife, city workers were slack on the job and didn't finish the work they were paid to perform. -that's- the irresponsibility, not some random kid living in their own world (which is what teenagers do) and then paying for it.

i'm all for personal responsibility, but that responsibility extends to reasonable expectations of the same from those around us. it is not unreasonable for someone to expect that a manhole be secured, or if they are not, for the unsecured and dangerous area to be marked as such. that is, after all, what the dipwads who were working on it were -=paid=- for - you know, their job.

so yeah.

[Unrepresented]

At the risk of upsetting the vindictive mob, she's still only 15. Seems pretty uncool to be bagging on her.

[capnsandwich]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

At the risk of upsetting the vindictive mob, she's still only 15. Seems pretty uncool to be bagging on her.

I'm kind of bagging on her parents and them looking for a law suit. Even though it's in their right to do so, it just sounds like they're going to try to get out everything they can get and that what irks me. I can see it if she was severely injured but she wasn't.

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by john turner

my wife fell into an un-locked manhole a few years ago. it flipped sideways and trapped her leg in it, because the idiots who worked on it didn't lock it down when they were done. she was alone, it was late at night, and she was trapped with a very heavy manhole trapping her leg.

she was lucky the thing didn't break her leg. she was lucky a car didn't drive by and hit her. she was lucky she didn't fall all the way in and fall the 20+ ft to the bottom of the sewer. i was in the hospital at the time, so i couldn't even help her. she had to pull herself out alone.

i know folks love to find some random event to point at and try to chalk it up to "carelessness" and "tattletale society" but the fact of the matter is that here, like in the situation with my wife, city workers were slack on the job and didn't finish the work they were paid to perform. -that's- the irresponsibility, not some random kid living in their own world (which is what teenagers do) and then paying for it.

i'm all for personal responsibility, but that responsibility extends to reasonable expectations of the same from those around us. it is not unreasonable for someone to expect that a manhole be secured, or if they are not, for the unsecured and dangerous area to be marked as such. that is, after all, what the dipwads who were working on it were -=paid=- for - you know, their job.

so yeah.

+1

the doctrine of contributory negligence developed for a reason. Re the OP it sounds like both parties are partially responsible.

[john turner]

i'm also assuming, since the girl said "the earth moved" that the manhole was in place, but unsecured. texting or not, she's not going to know that that's the case regarldess of whether she's texting or not - an unsecured/unlocked manhole doesn't look any different than a locked one. unless folks are supposed to toe-tap-test every manhole as part of their responsible sidewalk walking, then this is completely the responsibility of the city employees, and by extension, the city itself.

and before folks call this "ambulance chasing", she fell into raw sewage and had open cuts. if that was my daughter, you'd be damned straight i'm going to sue them - no telling what kind of nasty infections she could get.

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by capnsandwich

I'm kind of bagging on her parents and them looking for a law suit. Even though it's in their right to do so, it just sounds like they're going to try to get out everything they can get and that what irks me. I can see it if she was severely injured but she wasn't.

Hopefully the outcome of the court case will create a safer pathway for pedestrians and pay for whatever legitimate damages the girl suffered. That's what court cases are there for.

[rr5025]

I agree with John. I've opened a few manholes and never once let one unattended and always made sure they were closed up properly. Plus sewers are some nasty places with the fact that sewer gases are pretty bad to breathe in if she would've hit her head on the way down things could have been much worse. I agree she shouldn't have been texting while walking but the city definitely should have put up some sort of warning.

[Jared Lash]

Yes, the manhole should have had some warning. That it didn't is a mistake, there's no way around that. But if a girl can't text and walk well enough to avoid a huge opening in the ground in broad daylight then she shouldn't try to do both simultaneously. How many kids are going to get hit by cars in similar circumstances?

In any event, to me the issue isn't necessarily the lawsuit. If she was injured, the city should pay for her medical bills. To me it's the notion that hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond that amount are sometimes awarded.

In the infamous McDonald's coffee suit, the woman did receive 3rd degree burns, needed skin grafts and spent 8 days in the hospital. There's an argument that McDonald's should have paid for her medical bills but $640,000?

Why has not paying enough attention to avoid large holes in the ground or an inability to drive and refrain from spilling coffee become a basis for large monetary rewards?

EDIT: If it turns out the manhole was simply not locked as opposed to being removed, then I take back what I just said.

[stabbicus]

Originally Posted by syciprider

It was an accident waiting to happen -- an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked.

Friggin classic!

[My name is Mudd]

While I basically agree that there's blame on each side here, I think it also points out that, at least in this country, it's become socially acceptable to blame (and sometimes sue) someone else for your own stupidity.

[Chipsonfire]

I watched a video of the TV news cover and they (unintentionally) made it look like it was mostly her fault. According to mom, the workers were a few feet away getting cones for it and the lid was completely off, not unsecured. If she wasn't texting, she would have easily seen it. I, for one, don't feel bad for her at all. Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hk-ru57A-c

[Indiana Mike]

We open holes in floors at job sites all the time , or take rails down from elevated platforms.

You HAVE to barricade them , no ifs ands or buts. We get the barricades ready before we open a hole.The workers were wrong.

A genius could have fallen in the hole. your mind doesn't expect holes in sidewalks large enough to swallow you up



Being a sewer she might have been exposed to a range of disease such as hepatitis and a swarm of other dangerous bacteria.

As far as her... pretyy stupid on her part ... she could have walked into the path of a bus intead of a hole

[rcarraher]

Originally Posted by syciprider

http://wcbstv.com/local/texting.manh...2.1081403.html

Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting

It was an accident waiting to happen -- an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked.

Alexa Longueira, a high school sophomore, was walking along Victory Boulevard near Travis Avenue on Staten Island Wednesday evening when she felt the earth move and was plunged into smelly darkness.

She said the manhole she fell in to was left open and unattended with no warning signs or orange cones. She said two workers with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection failed to secure the area as they prepared to flush the sewer.

"It was just really gross and it was shocking and scary," she said. "Because of their careless mistake I got hurt." (ambulance chaser coaching)

Longueira has deep cuts and bruises and said she now has nightmares about falling, But she also did admit she was texting at the time.

"Regardless of whether I'm texting or not if there was a cone there I'm going to see a big orange cone," (no you won't because you were distracted) she said. "I walk that sidewalk every day, I don't expect a big hole there."

Longueira said she was helped out of the five-foot deep sewer by an apologetic DEP worker.

She went to the hospital and the city opened an investigation, issuing the following statement:

"We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery."

The Longueira family wants more than get well wishes. They may sue (Yup). Alexa's mother, Kim, said: "It could have been an elderly person, a mother pushing a stroller. It could have been anyone."

Alexa lost one of her sneakers in the sewer. She does not want it back.

The girl's mother said Alexa will see more doctors next week to get an MRI and check for damage to her spine.

Moronic, sad part is she'll probably win in court and the city will give her a few million dollars for being stupid.

[RWP]

She will be rich soon........

[Sonic_Death]

Even if cones were there, it is it not undoubtedly sure that she would have seen them.

I'd expect it reasonable that someone would see a giant friggin whole in ground. And what was the friend doing that she was walking with? I bet the other one was texting too and didn't notice either.

The window of opportunity for this to happen was less than a minute, but the fact that it did happen shouldn't fully be the fault of the workers. If the girl tripped on the sidewalk in front of someone's house because she was texting and broke her nose can she sue the people who live in the house where it happened?