N Calif woman gets 6 years in fatal texting crash

[Chuck]

Killed another woman while paying bills on the phone

AP - April 4, 2009

I'd like to have seen the jury's reaction. -- Ed.

A woman who crashed into a line of stopped vehicles while text-messaging on her cell phone has been sentenced to six years in a California prison for killing a woman in one of the vehicles.

Deborah Matis-Engle was sentenced Friday by a judge in Redding, Calif.

Investigators said Deborah Matis-Engle was speeding and text messaging when she slammed into the vehicles stopped at a construction zone in August 2007... [Read More]

[jhu]

Are people just getting more stupid or is it that technology enables people's inherit stupidity? Geez, texting while driving and then killing someone? She deserves jail time with no appeals.

[psyshack]

Our insurance at work forbids any type of cell phone use when in a company car or truck by the driver. Wish our private insurance policies would get that hard on folks.

[JusBringIt]

6 years??? that's it???

[ksstathead]

6 years would teach one not to repeat the offense, and do we really want to provide lifetime room and board to everyone who makes a bad mistake? Saw recently that 1 in 30 or maybe 1 in 50 US adults is either in jail or on probation. Staggering. No wonder the economy is in the tank and taxes are high.

I said about right. Like DUI, repeat offenders should get tougher sentences. Hopefully before someone dies, but either way...

[drummerboy2004]

Was that message really important enough for someone to die?... Not even close.
My vote would be life sentence... it is murder in my eyes. Texting while driving is like handing your baby a loaded gun as far as responsibility is concerned.
I see this all the time here in Tampa, and most of the time I will honk to make sure they don't run into me. Once again... darwinism... but I still don't want to be the one to have to die because of their ignorance. Why this is not outlawed is a mystery to me, and shows legislative irresponsibility by law makers.

[Chuck]

I'd like to see public service ads stressing that texting, sexting, etc. can't be dismissed because it's on the internet - the consequences are real....if you don't get killed, then the law will deal with you.

As a moderator, I deal with this "it's only the internet" syndrome all the time....most of the trollish or spamish members would probably back off inperson, but over the net they often spit at me while walking off a cliff.

[JusBringIt]

This is murder. Knowing you have >3000lbs of vehicle with an unimaginable amount of KE to deposit somewhere and then you're not going to pay attention? As an adult, that person should have known better.

Someone's missing their loved one now never to be seen again because this person made a "mistake." There's no coming back. That person sitting in traffic never got a second chance...

[TheForce]

How about cell phone manufactures put a motion lock in to cell phones to keep people from using them while in motion? This should be easy to do. Car navigation systems and DVD systems all ready do this why not cell phones? How about disable everything on the phone except bluetooth. Even disable the keypad. If you must make a call you have to say the number or a name through hands free device.

[JusBringIt]

Originally Posted by TheForce

How about cell phone manufactures put a motion lock in to cell phones to keep people from using them while in motion? This should be easy to do. Car navigation systems and DVD systems all ready do this why not cell phones? How about disable everything on the phone except bluetooth. Even disable the keypad. If you must make a call you have to say the number or a name through hands free device.

Nice idea, but passengers carry cell phones too. That argument was beaten half to death already...