Man's wife listened as train crash happened

[snopes]

A Katy, Texas, man was on his cell phone with his wife when he crashed into a freight train.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5242095.html

[Troberg]

I'm not surprised that this happens. I would estimate that at least 10-20% of train passengers use their phones, and 3-5% of the car drivers (at least out on the open road). Accident happens, someone is bound to hear it.

[KingDavid8]

A few years back, a teacher at my daughters' school was driving to work when he hit a patch of ice and went off the road. He called his wife on his cell phone to let her know what happened, and was talking to her when another car hit the same patch of ice, skidded off the road, and struck his car, killing him. I don't know if he was killed instantly or died later, but he was on the phone with her when the car struck.

David

Out where I live, I estimate that over 50% of the drivers on the road are talking on their cell phones. Its hard to point out a driver who isn't using a phone while driving. What REALLY gets my dander up, are the young people who are using their cell phones while driving but not talking, they are TEXTING each other.

[Sasquatch]

About 10 years ago when I was living in Kansas City, the river going through the center of town flooded (helped by some pumping stations not working).

Quite a few cars in various places around town were washed into the river, one guy right in the middle of town was sitting on top of his car talking to his family all the way up to the point that he was finally carried away and drowned.

A little off the subject from the surprise/coincidental deaths in the thread, but was when I first started wondering about, and paying attention to, how universal communication affects people in those last moments situations.