Plastic-Surgeon-to-the-Stars dies after texting while driving

18 August, 2010 (18:09) | Songs and Music, Technology News | By: Technology Expert

Text messaging while operating a vehicle has been blamed for auto accidents and even train collisions. Laws have been enacted to ban it in some states. Yet despite this, people continue to do it. Will the death of celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan change things?

Dr. Frank Ryan, 50, was reportedly Tweeting while driving. Technically, different than a straight text message, in California, where texting (emailing, etc.) while driving is banned, it amounts to the same thing. He died on Monday when his 1995 Jeep Wrangler drove over the side of a cliff on the twisty Pacific Coast Highway and fell on its roof.

Ryan's ex-girlfriend, Charmaine Blake, told People magazine that Ryan was sending out Tweet about Jill, his border collie, just prior to the crash. "He lived up in Malibu on a tiny street, and he was texting while driving, and he accidentally went over the cliff," she said, adding that bis family was told by investigators that the crash was caused by his texting, and that she hoped others would learn a lesson and "not text and drive at all."

Ryan was trapped and suffered major head injuries. His dog, Jill, was actually in the vehicle with him, but was thrown clear and only suffered minor injuries.

The last two Tweets he sent, just prior to the crash were:

After 25 years of driving by, I finally hiked to the top of the giant sand dune on the pch west of malibu. Much harder than it looks! Whew!

That was following by a picture posting to Twitpic and another post (all while driving):

http://twitpic.com/2fflev - Border collie jill surveying the view from atop the sand dune

Ryan was famous as a plastic surgeon who "worked on" several celebrities. They included Vince Neil, Gene Simmons, reality-TV personality Adrianne Curry and Lorenzo Lamas, and also possibly his highest profile client, "Hills" star Heidi Montag. Montag took to Twitter herself (presumably not while driving) and posted the following:

"I am devastated to hear the news of Dr. Frank Ryan's death. He was the most amazing person I have ever known. He was an angel and changed my life and the lives of everyone he met. He was the most brilliant talented surgeon who will ever exist. Dr. Frank Ryan changed the world."