Man drove tow truck into a swimming pool while texting and talking on cell phones

An upstate New York tow truck driver was texting on one of his cell phones and talking on the other when he slammed into a car and crashed into a swimming pool.

25-year-old Nicholas Sparks told Niagara County sheriff deputies that he was texting and talking when he slammed into the car early Wednesday morning, which caused him to crash into the car and while he was trying to avoid hitting a house, he drove into the swimming pool.

The driver of the car, 68-year-old Lily White, suffered head injuries and was taken by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, where she is listed in good condition and her 8-year-old great-niece, Kiara McDowell, who was in the car with her, was taken to Women & Children’s Hospital for treatment of wrist injuries.

Chief Deputy Steven Preisch said, “according to witnesses, he did not even stop, slow down or hit the brakes.”

Authorities said it took more than five hours to remove the truck from the pool.

Homeowner Brad Kanel said no one was in the pool at the time of the accident.

Sparks, who worked for the Adams tow truck, was charged with reckless driving, talking on a cell phone and following too closely.