Texting Trucker Gets In Over His Head

"I Hope At Least One of These Things Can Dial 911"

Few would ever accuse the U.S. Senate of being a fast-acting body. But Nicholas Sparks sure made them look proactive last week for introducing texting-while-driving legislation. The Burt, New York resident also made the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute look like real experts for claiming a 23x risk factor for texting while operating a commercial truck. All Sparks needed was a tow truck, a couple of cell phones, and a swimming pool.

It seems that on July 29, Sparks, not content with the ordinary daily challenge of driving a flatbed tow truck with a car attached, decided to turn it up a notch or two. Taking the concept of distracted driving to new levels, Sparks went all out, sending texts with one phone while talking on a second phone.
With his brain thus productively engaged, Sparks was at last free to purge all those pesky driving-related cognitive inputs, like other cars, backyards, and swimming pools.

All of which he suddenly found in front of him. The web-infamy-assuring image of Sparks's tow truck titled into a swimming pool was only the finishing touch on an accident landscape that included a rear-ended car, a smashed fence, and a sideswiped house. Sparks now faces reckless-driving charges.

Video of the crash aftermath (sadly, there is no live video; may we suggest to Sparks an iPhone 3GS for a from-the-cockpit video view of his next escapade?) is here:



Congratulations on your adventure, Mr. Sparks, and for having reinforced for us all a valuable lesson. The Senators will hear your testimony now.

• Cops: Texting NY tow truck driver hits car, pool (AP)