A law in Alaska outlaws texting and driving, yet we’re pushing for legislation outlawing texting and walking!
Last Monday, Maria Pestrikoff fell down a rocky beach cliff on Kodiak Island, in the northern Gulf of Alaska, and no it wasn’t because a polar bear was chasing her. It wasn’t because Santa said his rogue elves to retrieve some hidden package off of Pestrikoff’s person, it was because she was texting on her cellphone and wasn’t watching where she was walking.
According to the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Pestrikoff was walking toward the steep drop to toss a cigarette butt while attempting to send a message when she slipped on wet grass. A friend quickly heard her screams from the rocks below and called for help, and rescue crews quickly reacted to save the young woman’s life.
She was only about 10 feet from the water’s edge, the tide was coming in, and rescuers had to act quickly. “The incoming tide was a factor to consider with regard to expediting the patient’s lift and removal from the beach so as to not introduce cold water hypothermia as another factor influencing her injuries,” Fire Chief Rome Kamai said.
Luckily, Maria Pestrikoff was pulled up in a stretcher to a waiting ambulance, and is now recovering at a hospital in Anchorage.
Props: Bossip