MASON CITY – A Mason City teen has been cited by police after allegedly sending text messages while driving a car and then striking a pedestrian.
According to police, Krista Mary, 33, of Mason City, was struck while crossing the street while walking northbound at the intersection of East State Street and Connecticut Avenue Wednesday at around 3:33 PM. The driver of the car was 16 year-old Christian Laverne Bitker-Rasmussen. She was driving a 1995 Ford Escort westbound through the intersection.
Police said that Bitker-Rasmussen struck Mary head-on, and she received head injuries and was transported to the Mercy Hospital Emergency Room by emergency responders, where she is still hospitalized at this time.
Bitker-Rasmussen was cited for failure to yield to pedestrian and use of electronic communication device while driving.
The incident is still under investigation.
I must say I have done it thinking nothing is going to happen. I decided to leave my phone in the backseat where I can’t reach it and not be tempted to text on it. It has really made a difference.
And there’s a law against it, but it doesn’t pertain to some. 16 years old, ouch, this should hurt for along time. Hope the victim fully recovers…
At least 50% of the people I see driving by the house every day are texting. There was even a guy on a bicycle riding today with no hand while texting. He damn near got creamed when he went through the intersection without looking.
Kinda hard to text without a hand aint it? 😉
If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn’t understand it anyway. It’s called a typo.
very sad. please dont drive destracted