Don't text and drive

You know how you're not supposed to talk on your cellphone and drive at the same time? Same thing goes for texting, too. Tennessee state troopers say that Lucas Rolin was killed while trying to send a text message on his cellphone when he lost control of his pickup truck and flipped over onto an embankment. Not sure how they can prove for sure that it was text messaging that's to blame, since it sounds like he was alone at the time of the accident, but they did recover his phone and apparently they believe he must have been in the middle of tapping something out at the time of the accident.

[Via textually.org]

[zed @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

So...what was he typing??

[tainted @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Have they identified the suspicious looking woman in the background yet? :-) (sic)

[Skaught @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Good, he's gone! That's a perfect example of Natural Selection! :)

[dean @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

so its still ok for me to surf the web on my sk2 while driving, right? ...just checking...

[Kenny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

And here I thought I'd found a perfectly good loophole for using the cellphone while driving without investing in a headset.

[SideSwipe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Actual message: "Help md -- Ive flippd my truk, am bleedn, gettn slee"

[Ricky @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Yeah right; "entering the text in cell phone" killed him,�� Sarcastically speaking�� certainly not because of "not wearing a seat belt"
Like blaming the concrete pole killed Princess Di.

[PhilJ @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

@6, coworkers wonder why I laugh for "no reason" while I'm reading this site.

[Carmi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Thankfully, he didn't take anyone else with him.

Do you think his telco will charge him - or rather, his estate - for airtime?

Carmi
http://writteninc.blogspot.com

[hewdy-gewdy and monkey for sale cheap @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

lol @ #6

good stuff.

i'm just glad he didn't take someone else out with him. one less idiot.

[randomwalk @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

the new promo... "t9 saves lives"....

[Thoth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

"Tapping text messages while piloting heavy machinery is dangerous" Claims new study released today from the Institute of the Completely Fucking Obvious. In other news, the medical community warns against DIY home prefrontal lobotomy kits...

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

I hate people who think that they are gods at driving and can do anything. I have to remind my dad not to use his Blackberry while driving.

[joe bob @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Isn't the most important question what model cell phone he was using? Any phone that survives five or six flips in a vehicle and remains in good enough condition that the state troopers could tell the guy was writing a text message is worthy of a second look. Think of the marketing opportunities. (Remember the old Samsonite luggage commercials? ... Yes, I am that old.)


Someone tell Smoking Gun to get the police report so we can find out what the message said!

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/050307/wreck.shtml
"Witnesses told investigators that Lucas D. Rolin was using his cell phone Saturday as he drove south on the interstate near the Athens-U.S. 31 exit. Troopers recovered the phone and said he was trying to send a text message at the time of the wreck."

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

At least he only killed himself.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/10/1068329487085.html?from=storyrhs

She only avoided jail due to support from the parents of the cyclist she killed.

[BJBarron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Where exactly did the trooper find the phone? IN the dead guy's hand or inside the truck he was ejected from?

[JD @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

what an idiot, should have know better

[Tristan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

There's been a similar case in France a few month ago. A british woman had gotten lost and was texting people who might have been able to give her directions.
She ended up not noticing she had entered a section of the motorway on which workers were busy with maintenance.
I believe she killed a couple of them.
If I remember well she's in jail for while, with plenty of time to ponder the stupidity of texting while driving.

[Beta Ismawan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

I always pulled over my car when I needed to do text message. Or I did it during traffic jam. Gotta be more careful! I don't want to be like this poor man!

[T @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

This was my cousin, Did anyone think that his family might look at this site?

[Jo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

is texting that important to people that they have to do it while driving? i dont even answer my phone when im at home sometimes cuz im too lazy to take it out of my pocket.

[Josh Reynolds @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

You fucking idiots don't have any respect. Making jokes about someone's death isn't funny. It could be any one of you that could die in a car accident. probably will happen and i hope that you go to hell for it.

[Tamsen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

For you jerks who find this a bit funny "The dead guy" had a name it was Lucas # 16. Yes he should have been wearing his seatbelt. But that doesn't give anyone the right to tear him down. PLEASE have some respect for his family, his mother and wife and children. I just hope that my Aunt or even my mother dont look at this site and see some of the heartless things you all have writen about such a loving man.

[Jo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

guy should have had some respect for his own life and the countless others that he endangered. darwin awards anyone? actually, this doesnt even deserve to make it into the book.

Tamsen, if he would have killed your kid instead of himself, would you be so understanding? freakin idiot.