We have been hearing a lot lately about texting while driving. There are nationwide television ad campaigns against it, states have passed laws banning it and accidents caused by it hit the news each night. Now, we are starting to hear more about texting while walking incidents.
In a recent incident, Kodiak, Alaska resident Maria Pestrikoff fell off a 60-foot cliff where her home is located. She was walking towards the edge of the cliff on September 17 while texting so she could toss a cigarette butt. She unknowingly stepped too far and tumbled down the cliff after slipping on the grass.
“She was in the rocks between the boulders and she was calling for help,” Anthony Burke, a friend, said. “She was screaming in agony.”
Pestrikoff has to be rescued by emergency personnel with ropes. Firefighters who responded to the scene needed to rappel alongside the cliff to access her. Some also used ladders to get down the cliff. The rescue effort needed to be completed quickly because of the rising tide approaching Pestrikoff.
“The tide was right up to her toes by the time they were able to get her out,” Burke said.
Bob Himes is the chief of the Bayside Fire Department and he said, “It’s a very hard rescue. It’s very technical, and it doesn’t happen that often. We rely on the city and the Coast Guard fire departments who have the manpower to do the training.”