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Jul 11, 2009 2:06 pm US/Eastern
[h2]Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting[/h2] [h3]Alexa Longueira Suffers Deep Cuts, Bruises After Landing In Raw Sewage, Blames DEP For Leaving Hole Unattended[/h3]
Reporting
Dave Carlin
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Alexa Longueira
CBS
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It was an accident waiting to happen -- an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked.
Alexa Longueira, a high school sophomore, was walking along Victory Boulevard near Travis Avenue on Staten Island Wednesday evening when she felt the earth move and was plunged into smelly darkness.
She said the manhole she fell in to was left open and unattended with no warning signs or orange cones. She said two workers with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection failed to secure the area as they prepared to flush the sewer.
"It was just really gross and it was shocking and scary," she said. "Because of their careless mistake I got hurt."
Longueira has deep cuts and bruises and said she now has nightmares about falling, But she also did admit she was texting at the time.
"Regardless of whether I'm texting or not if there was a cone there I'm going to see a big orange cone," she said. "I walk that sidewalk every day, I don't expect a big hole there."
Longueira said she was helped out of the five-foot deep sewer by an apologetic DEP worker.
She went to the hospital and the city opened an investigation, issuing the following statement:
"We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery."
The Longueira family wants more than get well wishes. They may sue. Alexa's mother, Kim, said: "It could have been an elderly person, a mother pushing a stroller. It could have been anyone."
Alexa lost one of her sneakers in the sewer. She does not want it back.
The girl's mother said Alexa will see more doctors next week to get an MRI and check for damage to her spine.
this is precisely why i stop walking when i need to send out a text, only a takes a few seconds. too many inattentive drivers and such to riskgetting hurt or killed.
T9 > qwerty when driving. Learned that the hard way.
