topic Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous. in Community Chat

That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

Sidonie — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 15:52:20 GMT

A 2013 study suggested distracted walking could be more dangerous than distracted driving; Cherelle LaGrou is likely to agree. The Washington teen was hiking alone in Alaska on Sunday when she slid down a mountainside near Denali National Park. Well, not exactly alone. The 18-year-old was talking to her mother on her cell phone—and telling her that she was unnerved by the slippery conditions, no less—when she fell 30 feet. Her mother heard a scream, and then nothing, she tells theAP. "We were on the phone together (about 15 minutes) when the ground went out from under her," mom Shelly adds to the Omak Chronicle. "She was hysterical and did not know what happened."

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports things could have been worse: LaGrou was somehow able to stop her descent at the edge of a cliff, below which was a 60-foot drop. Says Shelly, "I am not sure what she found to get a finger hold to stop herself in the slide." The teen found herself stuck on the cliff edge with her feet slipping, and called her dad, who alerted her employer (she's working as a housekeeper at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge), who then contacted troopers. The rescue took roughly 45 minutes, though her parents weren't on the line with her for all of it: Her cell battery died about 30 minutes after the fall. But they'll be able to see it: It was filmed and will air on the National Geographic Channel's Alaska State Troopers, likely in the fall. The teen emerged with only minor scratches. (It's not the week's worst cell phone-related story: Two people died trying to recover a phone from a toilet.)

Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

raven-blackbird — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:05:43 GMT

If she had an ear piece, her eyes wouldn't be fixed on a screen and we don't know she wasn't using one..........if she was talking, that's a good thing, Alaska is bear country, the last thing you want to do is surprise a bear.........any ranger will tell you to talk loud, whistle, wear bells anything to let them know you're coming..........and thank goodness she had that cell phone and could get help...........................................raven

Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

DoneTryin — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 20:59:17 GMT

I can barely remember to keep my cell phone charged up. I do know one thing, though, & that is if it ever falls into a cesspool, I'm not going after it, nor would I ask someone else to do so.

Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

sidsmom — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:11:06 GMT

Count the Red Flags.

1. Hiking alone
2. Using cell phone while hiking
3. Filmed for a reality show? Huh??

Can we say set-up? Greater than zero chance she's a knock out pretty gal....guaranteed.

Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

MickD — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:59:04 GMT

Pffffft....thud.

Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

Big Sister — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:20:01 GMT

I'm amazed that after the fall she still had the phone in her hand. Something doesn't sound right about this story.

Re: That'll teach ya to stay off your cell phone while doing something potentially dangerous.

Lucky Charm — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 23:20:01 GMT

Well when people cause themselves harm because of cell phone/texting distractions, as long as rescuers or others aren't in danger, it doesn't matter to me.

But texting and driving? I'll call you an idiot. If your kids are doing it, guess what, they are too.