Driver distracted by phone, children drown, police say

[ejbr]

Source: CNN.com

Five children drowned in a Houston, Texas, bayou Saturday after the car they were riding in veered off the road, police said.

An adult passenger told police the driver -- the father of four of the victims -- was distracted by a cell phone call that he answered, Houston police Officer John Cannon told CNN. The Lincoln Towncar went down an embankment and into the Green Bayou, he said.

The driver, who was not immediately identified, got out of the car. The adult passenger, who police said was the driver's brother, also escaped and rescued a 10-year-old girl from the vehicle, Cannon said.

The five children killed in the accident were identified as two girls, ages 1 and 3, and three boys, ages 4, 6 and 7.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/19/texas.car.drowning/index.html

---

More unnecessary tragedy

[mbperrin]

1. Drunk, driving in a flood with kids, talking on the phone......

yet he survived, and the kids died.

And that is precisely why I do not believe in a god or benevolent power in the universe of any kind.

Events like this make me so tired.

[WriteDown]

5. Could look at it another way...

Maybe God did this to take these kids away from this idiot. :)

[brentspeak]

6. Uh, yeah. "Funny."

:thumbsdown:

[WriteDown]

9. Who said anything about funny?

FAIL.

[brentspeak]

12. Your smiley face, brain-stem

[pattmarty]

28. Who's God?????? Never heard of him/her.

[Divine Discontent]

25. pointless

you could spend all day long going from tragic thread to tragic thread questioning God's existence, and that's not going to solve your frustration over wondering why this has to happen. Why does your friend have to get cancer? Why did you lose your hand in that accident? Why did the local good guy cop get stabbed and killed by drugballs? Why'd the little girl have to die in such a tragic way? These are life's mysteries - but they're one of many reasons to seek out God and trust that there's freewill in this life, because if everything was pre-programmed and exactly how each of us would want them - one - there wouldn't be any point in having an existence, and - two - everyone has their own opinion of what life should be exactly like, so that's why I look at this for the tragic horrific and questionable death of several small children where the adults survived. They are in a better place, and I hope if anything caused their deaths that has not been shown, will be.

Good day.

[tomreedtoon]

30. Sorry, but God had nothing to do with this.

People like to blame God, or Satan, for the individual acts of humans. Just another case of passing the buck.

[Myrina]

2. "The driver and another adult passenger survived ..."

... how conveeeeeenient. :tinfoilhat:

[8 track mind]

3. you know i was just thinking the same thing......

i truly hope i'm wrong

[Connie_Corleone]

16. It also says that the adult passenger rescued a little girl that was in the car.

[LisaL]

21. Adults obviously will have an easier time getting out of the

submerged car than small children.

[Tiberius]

4. Drunk driving with kids in the car?

Wowee. And in bad weather to boot?

I can't say I haven't driven with the kid after a single glass of wine, but drunk?

[hlthe2b]

7. Triple threat: drunk, bad weather, cell phone distracted...

The perfectly preventable trifecta of tragedy.

Sad beyond words...

[geiger]

26. I have read that the brain goes on automatic pilot eihter when drinking or using cell phones.

Thus people who have been drinking and use cell phones while driving don't really know the risk. And what about if one has been both drinking and then talks on the cell phone?

[L0oniX]

8. Ban cell phones. (ak ban guns crowd)

[WriteDown]

10. Interesting argument...

And not without merit. I am all for banning cell phone use while driving except if you are on a headset. The problem is that these laws are rarely enforced. I am from NY where it is already the law and there are still tons of people who drive around, completely oblivious on their cell phones.

[enlightenment]

14. Headsets won't improve things.

The problem is that you're engaged with an 'outside' activity. If you are talking to someone in your car, that person is aware of the conditions that you are in - weather, traffic, carload of kids, whatever. They can and do respond to those cues; have you ever noticed how a passenger in your car will pause briefly (stop talking) when you begin a difficult maneuver; changing lanes in heavy traffic or some such? It's natural and they do it because they are THERE and can respond to your situation.

Headsets free up your hands, but they don't resolve that problem. And that IS the bigger problem. Not holding a phone in your hand or scrunching it between your shoulder and ear.

The person on the other end of the conversation has no idea what your situation is - even if you tell them you are in heavy traffic, bad weather, etc. They aren't there and they can't respond to the signs and cues. How many times have you seen someone suddenly slow down or start gently weaving in their lane because they're having a conversation with someone in their vehicle? How many times have you seen someone do those things because they are talking to someone on a cell phone? It's gotten so obvious that I can spot a cell phone driver a block away (and certainly on the highway when they suddenly slow from 65mph to 50mph for no 'obvious' reason. Not fun.)

Talking on a cell phone, hands free or not, is like trying to tap dance on the roof of your car while you are driving. It doesn't work.

I belong to the 'ban them completely' while driving club and I won't apologise for it. People who swear it doesn't impact their driving are delusional and self-absorbed - and just as dangerous as someone who swears that they can drive drunk.

[Fumesucker]

15. That depends entirely on the passenger..

I have relatives that don't stop talking when *they* are performing a difficult maneuver, they don't pay enough attention to the road when they are driving and they certainly don't pay more attention when I'm driving. Basically, they would never notice that I need to pay more attention to the road than to them at some given moment.

Like everything else about human behavior driver skill varies widely on a bell curve, some people are indeed better and more attentive drivers (and passengers) than others.

How dangerous cell phone use while driving might be depends a great deal on how good a driver you are to start with, I would far rather ride in a car driven by say a NASCAR driver talking on the cell than by my brother's wife not talking on the cell, she frankly terrifies me in the car and she doesn't even have a cell phone.

[enlightenment]

22. I appreciate what you're saying -

but I wouldn't want to be in a car with either the NASCAR driver or your sister-in-law, thank you. Nor would I want to be on the same road with either of them. As far as I'm concerned, by default, the minute you get on the phone while driving, you are no longer a 'good driver'.

The idea that 'some people' can talk on a cell while driving is great - unfortunately, there is no test available to determine who meets that requirement. In the meantime, almost everyone who uses their phone while driving insists that THEY - unlike everyone else - are totally aware/perfectly capable/completely in control the entire time they are on their phone.

I'm afraid that as I have aged and as the number of people on the road increases, I've become quite the fuddy duddy. I drive when I'm driving. I used to eat while driving. No more, beyond the occasional stick of gum. The radio is turned down or off in traffic. I've even given up drinking water when the car is moving. I realise that I need the concentration - not just because I've reached my half-century but because there are so many more people who ARE NOT concentrating on the road.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

19. I say ban them all -

The same part of the brain that you use while driving is the one you use while engaged in a cell phone conversation. It does not multi-task well, as this tragedy - and so many others - demonstrates. If you're talking with someone in the car, they, at least, are going to give you a scream if you're going off the road.

I once - once - answered a cell phone call while I was driving alone. I am a very good driver, and a very careful one. As I talked on the phone, I went through a red light. Fortunately, there were no other cars around.

I pulled over, hung up on the conversation, and never even turned on the phone again when I was in the car. Still don't.

[Mnemosyne]

29. And then we have those that think looking at the passenger while talking

is safe.

I believe in looking people in the eyes when speaking/listening, but that is ridiculous.

I prefer to drive myself most times.

[villager]

11. actually, cell phone use in cars is increasingly regulated...

as part of collective, public safety decisions.

I wish we could say the same about guns!

[catrose]

13. My insurance company asked me last week

if I was on my cell phone when I wrecked my car last weekend. (Someone pulled out sideways across the highway in the rain; I tried to stop and had no brakes.) I'd never been asked that before. Of course, I don't have a lot of wrecks either.

Sigh. It looks like my lovely little fuel-efficient car is totalled. The truck driver has a dent in his bumper. I'm okay but I missed several days of work from soreness. Which might not be paid for; company is playing whiley beguiled with sick leave. And a $500 deductible, which I guess only matters if they fix my car, which I hope they do.

[doctor jazz]

36. I completely overlooked that part of the Bill of Rights concerning cell phones.

:eyes:

[villager]

37. Um, you can still own things that are reasonably regulated -- your NRA-sparked tantrums aside...

n/t

[jberryhill]

17. This, Folks, Is Why We Must Drain The Bayous

Those bayous are a hazardous threat which must be drained.

[Mudoria]

18. I can't count the number of times I've seen cellphone users

driving towards me with no clue what they're doing other than yakking away. I had a young lady pulling into my road with the phone stuck to her ear as I was sitting at the stop sign, who nearly ran over the front of my car as she started to turn in. She then realized, I guess, that this wasn't the right road, so she stopped dead in her tracks, sat there a few seconds and then just backed back into her original road (without looking) and then proceeded on her way. She never for a second stopped talking on the phone; people like this are my main personal safety worry driving these days.

[JayMusgrove]

20. 15 years ago nobody had a cell phone and

we managed quite well.

Simple rule, never drive while talking on a cell phone. Stop the car and talk all you want.

[Berry Cool]

24. Agreed. People overestimate their ability to cell-talk and drive just as they do their

ability to drive after drinking. They flatter themselves.

Let me tell you another reason "hands-free" cell phone use doesn't work: There are people who CANNOT TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE, even on the phone, without making accompanying hand gestures to illustrate their speech. I know, because at least two of my sibs are in this number. I can't tell you how many times I've seen them driving with one hand while holding the phone with the other--and they take their driving hand off the wheel numerous times to gesture with it, because of course, if they used the OTHER hand, they would DROP THE PHONE, and God forbid they should DROP THE PHONE!

You can be assured that if they were wearing a hands-free headset, they wouldn't be driving with one hand and gesturing with the other--they'd just be gesturing with BOTH hands.

I am sure if anyone ever made a video of them and played it back, they'd be shocked at the amount of time they spend driving with NO hands on the wheel because they're gesturing while on the phone. But if I get on their case about it, they chide me for nannying how they drive.

[tomreedtoon]

31. Didn't he do exactly that?

The driver crashed, his cell phone rang, he got out and answered the call, and let his kids drown.

That "simple rule" killed those kids.

The lesson for today: simple rules are no protection against idiots, because idiots will always find novel ways to be idiots.

[Cirque du So-What]

35. There were other distractions before cellphones

I know of people who would attempt to eat a multi-course meal, apply makeup (including finger and toenail polish), read maps, and tend to their children while driving. People need to avoid *any* distracting activity while driving.

While on the subject...

I would like to see legislation in EVERY locale across the nation take up the issue of texting while driving. WTF! I can't see how even the most libertarian of legislators can see nothing wrong with this!

[mitchum]

23. Another death-dealing yahoo

[droidamus2]

27. I don't understand

What is this need of people to be in contact at all times. As a previous post noted we used to get along fine with out a phone stuck to our ears every waking hour. I like gadgets as much as the next guy but cell phones are one I just don't get. I did buy a trak phone and bought 600+ hours for the first year. My significant other ended up with it because I wasn't using it and we probably still have over 500 hours left. I even heard a story the other day that a woman and her brother were both home at the same time he upstairs, she down. He need to ask her a question so he texted it to her. That is ridiculous. Other than calling in emergency situations after you have already pulled off the road if at all possible there is no reason to have to have a phone in a car period. I am sure somebody could come up with some rare occasions where you might have an emergency where you wouldn't want to stop but I would think those are few and far between. What message is so important that you would risk the life of your passengers to take it 'right now'.

[ejpoeta]

33. i use my phone, as it is my ONLY phone. and i have needed it in my car.

like when i am trying to find someone's house and am lost. or at the store if I call my husband to ask if he needs anything or whatever. people do use their phones. i admit i don't understand the texting thing, but i have family who does that all the time. and i know my sister and her daughter text and talk all the time since becky moved clear across the country and she is 18. i personally couldn't imagine not having my phone with me and when i forget it, i feel like something is missing. especially recently it has been essential as my father was sick and then in the hospital and i needed to be in contact with family members at all times regarding that. That is not a normal thing, but having the phone is essential to me. Now, having my 10 year old with a phone seems a bit much. All her girl scout friends seem to have them. and she wants one. not going to happen unless and until i feel she needs one. which she doens't right now. yes, there was life before cell phones, but honestly i could not imagine not having one now. and generally, i think there are a lot of safe drivers out there who can handle taking a call on a hands free set without a problem. it's no worse than changing the radio station or having to yell at my kids in the back seat. and i don't see their yelling in the back seat stopping. now, i use common sense too. some people don't, but i bet many of them do. i know that as a driver for almost 20 years i have more experience than a teenager would have. so i would think that i would be better able to manage situations in general than a teenager. there are a lot of factors here. it's not as black and white as everyone likes to make it out to be.

[droidamus2]

39. That is exactly what I was talking about

This idea that people feel lost without a phone. Used to be either you would ask your husband before hand or you would just make the purchase. Saves an extra trip to the store but not essential. Being lost is a good one but I would still say pull over first. The way you describe the need to have your phone at all times almost sounds like an addiction. I guess since I have always looked at the phone as strictly utilitarian, as in make the call get some quick information and hangup, and not as a form of entertainment I will never get it.

[ejpoeta]

40. actually, if i am lost i tend to pull over to find out where i need to go and call the person.

like when i have bought stuff on craigslist and missed a street or something. i am terrible with directions. i do pull over to the side of the road to call someone for that. i tend to not want to talk on the phone while i am driving and tend to keep that to a minimum myself. i do however cringe at my husband, who will be looking at his rim (blackberry) AND talking on his cell via earbug while driving. i have told him to cut it out on numerous occasions. I hate that. now THAT is distraction!!! btw... the blackberry is for work. talk about addiction!! i am not addicted to the phone. just feel lost if it is not there. but not so much when my husband has the kids and he can't call me to ask when i will be home. LOL! moreso because i use it as so i can see what time it is and i feel safer knowing it is there. not so much as using it per se.

[ejpoeta]

32. so the guy was drunk driving. and talking on the phone? i tend not to talk on the phone while i am

driving, but when i have answered it, it tends to be the answering of the phone that would take attention away. if i have my earbug on it doesn't cause me problems. there are plenty of people i see talking and driving who apparently aren't paying attention. i DO. but then, like i said, i try to avoid answering my phone or making any calls while driving either. as for the kids drowning... most of them would have been in a car seat and probably couldn't get themselves out... why the hell didn't the father go friggin get them out!! i think that would be my primary objective if they were going to drown.

[Yunomi]

34. CNN is playing this as

"weather related". It's not "weather related", it's "drunk driving/cellphone" related. I'm always astounded at how stories are slanted/spun on MSM.

[rainbow4321]

38. What part of "failed a field sobriety test ".....do they not get?

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Five_Dead.html

Police planned to charge a driver suspected of being intoxicated when he lost control of his car while using his cell phone, plunging the vehicle into a rain-filled ditch where five young passengers died, a spokesman said Sunday.

Charges of intoxication manslaughter were being prepared against Chanton Jenkins, 32, Houston police Kese Smith said.

Smith said Jenkins failed a field sobriety test after the accident Saturday, which followed torrential rain storms. The results of a blood alcohol test were pending. Smith did not know if Jenkins had an attorney.

(snip)
Jenkins' brother told police rain was falling heavily when Jenkins answered a cell phone. He said Jenkins lost control when he hung up the phone and the car flew down an embankment into the ditch, Smith said.

[Igel]

41. It's weather related.

For two reasons.

First, the weather, cellphone, and drinking all contributed to the accident. Any one would have been quite sufficient. The weather yesterday was really bad; there were times I knew I was at the edge of the road only because I could feel my tires go off--the road was under a foot of water, the side of the road was under a foot of water, vision doesn't get you much (I was mostly concerned about having the car die). My wife asked me where the car ahead of me on the freeway had gone to, and I said it was still there--you just couldn't see it, 20 feet ahead of us. I slowed from 40 to 35 (instead of the usual posted speed limit of 60, and the usual actual speed limit of 65-70). We couldn't get to one house we were looking for--one road leading towards it had water over the headlights of cars parked along the road. We decided to head home. (We went back--the house had flooded.)

Second, and more importantly, the bayous here are creeks. Most of the time they have a foot or two of water in them and flow sluggishly. The only way you drown after crashing your car in one of them is if you get out of the car, trip, and land face down in the stream--even then you're likely to wake up before you drown.

After a storm they can have 6 feet of water in them, and can have a pretty good current. It's possible to drive a car into them and drown. Still, that is a bit hard to pull off, and the car usually stays put or travels a few feet and gets stuck.

We had bad storms on Friday, so the ground was still soaking Saturday morning. Where I live we had 5-6 inches of rain in 8 hours on Saturday, 2-3 on Friday. Some places had more. Bayous overflowed, and they didn't just have a "pretty good current," they were raging. It dragged the car downstream and they had to search for it. Without the weather, it's likely the kids would have been treated for bruises and maybe a broken bone or two. They would have been easily rescued; and if they had been swept away, finding them would have been fairly easy.

Three things contributed to the crash. But for making the crash into a multiple drowning we can blame the weather.

[Tab]

42. What a shitty way to die

But to be fair, that driver's going to have a shitty life himself. I wouldn't want to be him.