Woman distracted by phone in stable condition after fall

PLAINFIELD, N.J. – A woman distracted by her cellphone is in stable condition, one day after she tripped over a door and fell 6 feet (1.8 metres) into a basement opening in New Jersey.

Plainfield Public Safety Director Carl Riley said the woman, whom he would not identify, remained hospitalized Friday.

Surveillance video captured the woman Thursday as she walked along a Plainfield street. It shows her looking at her phone, walking into the open door and then tripping and falling into the opening.

The 67-year-old landed in the cellar of Acme Windows, where workers were repairing gas lines.

Police say her injuries were not life-threatening.

Martin Delgadillo, a barber, told WNBC-TV he saw the woman plunge through the access door. He says: “I thought texting and driving was a bad thing. Now it’s texting and walking.”