- Even after her crash Leigh Fazzina couldn’t stop “Tweeting”
Ready for the big cycling race? Have your check list ready for a safe race: tubes, check; water, check; helmet, check; gloves, check; first aid kit, check; mobile phone with Twitter account, what you say? The last item might seem like a stretch, because after all, who needs to make a call or send a Tweet while they’re in the middle of a race. But for Leigh Fazzina being able to send a Tweet to her Twitter follows may have just saved her life.
After getting lost in a 300-acre Connecticut woods last Tuesday during the downhill stage of a mini-triathlon, Fazzina crashed when her front wheel hit some roots. The 36-year old was bleeding, and unable to walk. Instead of panicking, she tried to use her mobile phone to call relatives, but as the calls failed, she resorted to using Twitter to reach out to 1,000+ “followers.”
She posted the message: “I’ve had a serious injury and NEED Help! Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I’m stuck bike crash in woods.” More than a half a dozen people, including those who had never met her, but followed her Tweets, suddenly sprang into action. The followers picked up the phone to alert authorities. News posts note that Mary-Ellen Harper, director of fire and rescue services for the Farmington Fire Department, reported calls from as far away as California.
This no doubt aided in rescue, and limited the amount of the time the crashed rider spent in the woods. And being a good sport, Fazzina even continued to Tweet after she was rescued, which no doubt made for a happy ending for her followers.
Fazzina is reportedly healing up, and has plans to hit the trails again – but from now on she says she’ll be sure to pack her mobile phone, and stick to trails she knows.
[Via All Headline News: Injured Bicyclist Tweets For Help While Stranded In Woods]