It was only a matter of time...teen falls into manhole while texting

It's bad enough that people seem disconnected from the outside world, jabbering and texting on their mobile phones while driving and many insist they can do both safely, here's proof how distracting these activities can be even when you're on your own two feet. (NYDN):

A Staten Island teen trying to text while walking fell into an open manhole - and city officials have launched an investigation.

Alexa Longueira, 15, was walking with a friend along Victory Blvd. on Wednesday when she suddenly dropped underground.

"She's all scraped up on her back, under her arms and her shoulders," her mother, Kim Longueira, said.

The schoolgirl had just been passed the phone by her friend and was opening it to send a text message when the ground beneath her feet disappeared.

A city department had the manhole open to flush a sewer line. It does beg the question why there were no cones or anything around the open hole to warn anyone, regardless of the distraction, before they actually plunge into blackness.