Tourist Distracted by Facebook Falls off Pier

A tourist who fell into Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay, Australia while browsing Facebook on her phone has been rescued, authorities have revealed.

The woman was walking along the bay while checking her Facebook feeds, when she fell off the pier into the cold water.

A witness called for help and police rushed to rescue the woman, who was found flailing around in the water, about 20 metres (65 feet) from the pier.

The woman was taken to hospital for treatment. She confirmed she was a tourist but did not want to disclose any other information, including the country she was travelling from.

"She was still out in the water lying on her back in a floating position because she told us later that she couldn't swim," senior constable Dean Kelly of the state water police told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"With Facebook, or social media in general as far as we're concerned, if you're anywhere near the water just pay attention, especially if you can't swim," Kelly continued.

Cell-phone related injuries are quite common. According to a recent study conducted by researchers connected to Ohio State University, pedestrian cell phone-related injuries have more than doubled since 2005.

Pedestrian injuries related to cell phones range from falling off walkways or bridges to walking in front of moving traffic. The study found that in 2010, 1,500 pedestrians were treated in emergency rooms for cell-phone related incidents.

Jack Nasar, co-author of the study and professor of city and regional planning at The Ohio State University said: "If current trends continue, I wouldn't be surprised if the number of injuries to pedestrians caused by cell phones doubles again between 2010 and 2015."