Bonnie Miller, Woman Who Fell Off Pier While Texting, Saved By Teen Rebecca Van Zant (VIDEO)

Sometimes texting while preoccupied can have life-threatening consequences. Just ask Bonnie Miller, who fell off a pier and into a river's frigid water while trying to send a text message.

The 45-year-old woman was on an nighttime stroll with her family in St. Joseph, Mich., when she tried sending a text about an appointment, WBND reports.

"I sent about three words ... Next thing you know it was the water," Miller told WBND.

Rebecca Van Zant, a 19-year-old passerby, heard a panicked cry from Miller's son and instinctively dived into a river leading into Lake Michigan.

The teen swam to the woman while witnesses helped Miller's husband -- who had also jumped in -- out of the water and called 911 for medical care.

Now, Van Zant is being called a local hero, but the student said she didn't think twice about her actions.

If anything, the rescue only reaffirmed her goal to join the United States Coast Guard, WBST reports.

“As soon as the Coast Guard got there and I saw the badge on one of the guys I was like, 'This is what I want to do.' I would do it every day," Van Zant told WBST.

As for Miller, the woman said she's a bit embarrassed about the incident but is grateful to be alive.

All parties escaped the waters unharmed, but one member of the U.S. Coast Guard said the call is certainly one he'll remember.

"Since I’ve been here I haven’t heard of anyone that’s texting and walks off the pier, that is a new one for me,” Matthew Binns told WNDU.

For more on the story, watch the full report by WDNU in the video above.

Comments

[minnieme213]

11:25 AM on 03/26/2012

i think that was the right thing to do and i personally think that the lady shouldnt have been texting while walking on a pier anyways

[William Young]

02:44 PM on 03/25/2012

Glad to hear a story coming out in a positive light for a change.

[fiftyninedandre]

03:21 PM on 03/23/2012

Lordy,Lordy,Must have been the water in her head shooshing around that kept her eyes from seeing where she was going.I've seen persons walk into poles and cars and step off curbs almost breaking ankles ,not to mention how many times they walk right into you...and have the nerve to think you are the wrong one in their paath. Let' s have some reason here ,people! To WHOM are you talking to! The more we know the more we don't know ...how to act appropriately ...

[groucho42]

03:18 PM on 03/23/2012

Sadly, another teen who doesn't believe in evolution... ;)

[floatsfast]

11:19 AM on 03/25/2012

Groucho, read it again as she wasn't a reenager as she has a 15 year-old son! A 19 year-old came to her rescue.

[Holly H]

10:31 AM on 03/23/2012

Hopefully the Coast Guard can help her fulfill her dreams.

[Fenrir Lokison]

11:48 AM on 03/23/2012

Yeah. Me too. Maybe the Coast Guard will even do something special for her right now? I mean something like allowing her some monitored training and stuff like that.

[sharonlh7]

10:14 AM on 03/23/2012

i guess she'll never text and walk EVER again.

[Fenrir Lokison]

11:50 AM on 03/23/2012

Young Bonnie san! You have yet to even master the art of walking while chewing gum and you want to excel to texting & walking? What lesson have you learned?

[novabird]

03:10 PM on 03/23/2012

I agrre, she'll just confine her texting to when she is driving a vehicle. Much safer.

[KIVPossum]

04:11 AM on 03/23/2012

I tend to believe nature has a way of weeding out the unintelligent members of a species.

[Robofsemi]

08:18 AM on 03/23/2012

That was my first thought, Ms. Van Zant interfered with natural selection.

[novabird]

03:11 PM on 03/23/2012

That was my first thought too. She is 45 which means she has probably already reproduced. Those genes are floating in the gene pool.

[RickinBoca]

07:11 PM on 03/22/2012

Did she start texting "HELP" after she fell into the lake?

[Robofsemi]

08:19 AM on 03/23/2012

She Tweeted, "Just fell off pier, so embarrassed, think I'll stay a bit"

[sharonlh7]

10:14 AM on 03/23/2012

lololol i shouldnt laugh but that was hilarious!!!

[novabird]

03:13 PM on 03/23/2012

Only after she updated her Facebook status - Help! Gurgle! Splash!

[mario andretti]

04:07 PM on 03/22/2012

It would have been better had she been the one on the other end of the text and fell of the other end of the pier while reading it.

[forrestly7]

02:23 PM on 03/22/2012

I hope this story gets an adaptation to a major moton picture....with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin as the no-nonsense news anchors bringing this story to the public's eyes...Michelle Rodriguez as the street smart, gritty yet tender-hearted reporter who tirelessly goes all out to cover the story....Jennifer Lawrence to play our teen hero Van Zant...Demi Moore revives her career by playing the pretty, yet absent minded, type A executive and Russell Crowe as the handsome coastguard team leader. I smell Oscar here!

[ebuist1825]

01:35 PM on 03/22/2012

Rebecca says she wants to join the USCG, and do this sort of thing every day. Good thing, because with so many stupid people near bodies of water in this country, she and the entire USCG will never be out of work! You go girl! :o)

[springsswttooth]

01:26 PM on 03/22/2012

She should be embarrassed! Be aware of your surroundings and if you really need to send a text, sit down somewhere and do it.

[freddsky]

01:02 PM on 03/22/2012

Before you make this about gender or technology, who hasn't had to help fish out a besozzled mate who made the mistake of attempting to chat up some heart-throb poolside? We are social creatures. Our urges to connect can occasionally distract. These things happen.

[Commander Cody]

12:59 PM on 03/22/2012

Dear Rebecca Van Zant,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF NATURAL SELECTION, YOU FOOL.

Sincerely,
C. Darwin

[ebuist1825]

01:30 PM on 03/22/2012

Now that's funny! I fanned you for making me laugh. :o) Thank goodness Rebecca didn't lose her own life trying rescue this careless woman.

[valhalla679]

12:45 PM on 03/22/2012

I am outraged that the article (refused) the opportunity to show that if a woman could endanger her own life just wandering around while texting, how many people are injured or even killed because someone was texting while driving.
I used the term 'refused' because it is too obvious.