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A car crash caused by texting while driving caught on camera

A warning video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw1vUL9dbqQ

(YouTube: FMPDADMIN)

POLICE IN FLORIDA released a video of a car crash caused by texting while driving to warn of the dangers of using a phone and the road at the same time.

“Texting and driving is a serious epidemic” at the moment, according to Fort Myers Lieutenant Victor Medico.

“We hope the in-car video in this incident is a wake-up call to those that text and drive.”

Thankfully no one was seriously injured in the incident. But the driver, Michael James Woody, was cited for careless driving and texting while driving.

As he travelled down Veronica Shoemaker and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr boulevards on 4 January, Officer Ivan Moorer noticed some unusual behaviour from the vehicle in front of him. The driver was swerving and slowing for no apparent reason, he said.

His dashcam caught the whole episode, including when the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am accelerated across the inside lane, drove up onto the path and violently struck a guardrail, bus stop sign and tree before rolling over.

Woody eventually got out and crawled to safety before telling the officer that he had been texting on his mobile phone.

Read: Woman fined because her puppy wasn’t wearing a seatbelt

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61 Comments
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    Mute CAPITAINE ADEBAYO
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:54 PM

    Ok. Firstly the coppers should have pulled the driver in earlier, secondly texting/tweeting/commenting while driving is very dangerous and in my opinion far more dangerous than people talking on a mobile. You have your eyes on the road when you are talking as opposed to battling with predictive text.

    OH! Lights changed gotta run.

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    Mute Barry O Mahoney
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:06 PM

    First part looks like an average morning on the m50

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    Mute Antonov Merinov
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:11 PM

    I am surprised you had to go as far afield as Florida.
    Plenty of texting offenders in the locality.

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jan 15th 2014, 8:04 PM

    Antonov driving here in Florida for over 4 years and there is no comparison between Irish and Floridian tx driving. I see it every day on interstates and and noticed texters are more likely to use extreme outside lane so they only have traffic on their right. It’s still legal to make calls but not text.

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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Jan 16th 2014, 11:04 AM

    30% of all road accidents in the US are attributable to using mobile devices while driving–even though it is illegal in most states to do so.
    For some strange reason, people seem to think that using the speaker phone on their iphone while holding it in their hand constitutes “hands free” use. LOL.

    3
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    Mute Ray Breen
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:55 PM

    Is anyone else concerned by the police in florida. He sat in the car for 40 seconds and didn’t go to the aid of a car crash victim

    217
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    Mute Mikey ️
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:16 PM

    More concerned that they let him drive like that for how long first. What if there was someone on the path…!!!!

    111
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    Mute Peter 'Nocky' Naughnane
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    Jan 15th 2014, 8:35 PM

    That was first thought too Ray, pretty slow to react to see if anyone required medical attention. The car rolled over ffs.

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jan 16th 2014, 3:14 PM

    It was a dash-cam so I imagine it just kept filming while the officer got out of the car?

    1
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    Mute Dónal O'Flynn
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    Jan 19th 2014, 8:09 PM

    If he got out of the car we would see him in the video, so he clearly didn’t get out.

    2
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    Mute Peter 'Nocky' Naughnane
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    Jan 19th 2014, 8:42 PM

    Left-hand drive, he would have had to exit the car on the left and cross the view of the camera to go towards the crashed vehicle. He does not come into shot at anytime.

    1
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    Mute Scaldychops
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:55 PM

    I hope the person wasn’t seriously hurt but it’s very hard to be sympathetic at such gobshytery.

    209
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    Mute Larry K
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    Jan 15th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Beautiful use of the word, and I thank you for that

    125
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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Jan 16th 2014, 7:12 AM

    As$holery even! :-)

    9
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    Mute ÉiRed
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:56 PM

    No video or ad will ever stop people from txting/ringing/drinking/speeding while driving. There will always be someone who knows better than us all

    114
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    Mute Rkmr
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:06 PM

    It think the only thing that may stop people is when they are directly affected by it. A family member crashing or friend etc

    52
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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:49 PM

    “………..from the town of Springfield, he’s about to hit a chestnut tree!” Doh!

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    Mute The Green Monkey
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:12 PM

    On a totally different topic, was stopped at the lights waiting to turn right onto Griffith Ave. from Drumcondra Road at 12 today when a Garda jeep driving in outside lane heading towards town decided to drive into bus lane as traffic was backed up.He pulled into bus lane without indicating and narrowly missed an eight seater taxi who was using the bus lane, the taxi driver blew the Garda Jeep who in turn turned on his blue lights pulled in a little further down the road and got out an stopped the Taxi. My very long point is I hope to God the Taxi driver who for once was in the right didn’t get a ticket and if he did it was a total abuse of power. If you are out there taxi man Green Monkey will be your witness……….

    270
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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:36 PM

    A few years since I drove down that road but is it still a bus lane after 10 am?

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    Mute The Green Monkey
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:38 PM

    Think its free for all between 10 and 12

    21
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    Mute Mary Gormley
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    Jan 15th 2014, 10:59 PM

    Yes, it’s not a bus lane between 10 and 12.

    9
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    Mute Lamb
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    Jan 16th 2014, 6:10 AM

    A car was blowing horn at me for not using a (dodgy) cycle lane which was separate from the road. …which I am not required to do anyway. When I turned around the driver had her hand up to her ear on the mobile.

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    Mute Grumpeee Oldman
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:13 PM

    Video won’t open as I have only 3g in the car

    77
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    Mute Brid Macdermott
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:19 PM

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

    23
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    Mute Ogochukwu
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:47 PM

    You have beautiful laugh ..lol

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    Mute Brid Macdermott
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:48 PM

    Thanks! Means a lot!

    23
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    Mute Murph11
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:00 PM

    I always practice safe text

    62
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    Mute DarthTempus
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:00 PM

    At what point did the officer get out of his own car to see was the chap okay?

    54
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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:19 PM

    He had to load his gun first and get his handcuffs. That’s the cops for ya.

    That car rolled over to easily. Wouldn’t wanna drive one of those.

    43
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    Mute Anthony Cronin
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:02 PM

    If they added a years automatic ban from owning or using a mobile phone as the punishment that would soon stop people.

    46
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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:41 PM

    If only asked the RSA a few days ago for the millionth time for something that is more dangerous than drink driving why is the punishment only a few penalty points and a small fine. Yet again no answer

    24
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    Mute Chewey Bacca
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:56 PM

    I do miss the Nokia predictive text. It’s much harder texting while driving using the iPhone qwerty keyboard.

    38
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    Mute Nick Hill
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    Jan 15th 2014, 8:43 PM

    I agree. My driving has gone to sh*t since I gave up my Nokia. Steering with your kness is just bloody tricky in the city using the Samsung Galaxy S4.

    33
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    Mute THE VOICE
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:05 PM

    Thank God the Police officer didn’t drop his coffee or his doughnuts while in pursuit………….

    36
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    Mute Kevin Brady
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:58 PM

    you need to practice texting while driving, otherwise it can be dangerous and this happens. keep trying youll get it in the end.

    31
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    Mute Alison Hansson
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:56 PM

    Crawls out of the car…better finish off writing my text

    28
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    Mute Michael Garett
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:19 PM

    A roadside tree is better than any cop. Great way to stop texting.

    21
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    Mute Elaine Cassin
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    Jan 15th 2014, 8:45 PM

    I’ve seen people smoking/ lighting up while driving, isint that a driving distraction too

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    Mute Mr.Big!
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    Jan 15th 2014, 9:02 PM

    So’s putting on the wipers!

    22
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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jan 15th 2014, 9:58 PM

    If you ever come over again see you in Brannigans on h192 marker 10, south International Drive, every Sat night!

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    Mute Elaine Cassin
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    Jan 16th 2014, 12:00 AM

    I’ll be there in September, can’t wait I’d live there if I could..

    2
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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jan 16th 2014, 1:48 AM

    Don’t let me down! :):)

    1
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    Mute Elaine Cassin
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    Jan 16th 2014, 7:33 AM

    Ah Shawn we can go the Outback Steakhouse haha

    1
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    Mute Tom Hara
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:45 PM

    Why did none of the police officers help the poeople out of the car?

    16
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    Mute Martin Moloney
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:24 PM

    Ahhh am I the only one who seems to have noticed that when the car crashed the police just sat in their car and watched??!

    11
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    Mute Brid Macdermott
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:30 PM

    No you’re not.

    43
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    Mute Martin Moloney
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:37 PM

    With one exception it seems to me, from the comments

    4
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    Mute Brid Macdermott
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:43 PM

    No, two from comments section…

    21
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    Mute Tom Daly
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:32 PM

    Word is going around that she got her driving lessons in Wexford .

    9
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    Mute Sandra Turner
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    Jan 15th 2014, 11:21 PM

    He not she

    7
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    Mute Mr.Big!
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:38 PM

    She logged out !

    9
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    Mute Jill :D
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    Jan 16th 2014, 1:17 AM

    What a selfish @$$ hole! People are idiots risking the lives of innocent road users.

    6
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    Mute Ogochukwu
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    Jan 15th 2014, 7:49 PM

    What a silly person she needs to be taught a lesson or two or three ..lol

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    Mute Sandra Turner
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    Jan 15th 2014, 11:20 PM

    Was a he

    5
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    Mute conor hickey
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    Jan 15th 2014, 9:17 PM

    Old vid.
    Lifted straight from a TV show.

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    Mute James Ó Cianáin
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:57 PM

    Whoops!

    4
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    Mute Elaine Cassin
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    Jan 15th 2014, 8:43 PM

    That’s the east irlo Bronson manorial highway in Florida, they drive nuts over there, they don’t even bother to indicate when changing lanes it’s crazy but I still love it

    4
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    Mute Patrick Ayton
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    Jan 16th 2014, 11:15 AM

    Seems a bit irresponsible on the police officers part that he let him continue till he crashed he could of pulled him over before the turn, for the sake of some footage?..that crash could of involved another car with maybe children

    3
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    Mute Marc van Vliet
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    Jan 16th 2014, 4:31 AM

    Ok i am going to make someone incredibly rich: why if people are so stupid can we not develop an app for our smart phone to prevent texting while driving !?!

    2
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