Yesterday afternoon I became a statistic. I am now among the reportedly growing number of people getting injured while texting and--not driving--but walking.

I'm out of town on assignment and Wednesday afternoon while looking at my BlackBerry, I tripped and fell. The next thing I know the middle finger of my right hand (good finger to injure, right?) is bent completely out of whack, swollen and throbbing in pain.

I ran to my rental car, plugged the nearest hospital into my navigation system and drove myself to the emergency room.

The ER doc is a former "footballer" who said he'd broken or dislocated every finger on both hands and popped them all back into place himself. He held them up. One of his fingers is still crooked. Still, I agreed to let him pull my injured finger straight. Momentary pain and it was fixed.

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The X-ray showed I dislocated and hyperextended it, but thankfully didn't break it. Nonetheless, I'm under orders to see an orthopedist when I return home and have the finger put in a proper permanent splint for about six weeks.

And, yet, I still didn't learn my lesson. I'm composing this blog entry on my BlackBerry...uh, while on the eliptical machine at my hotel gym.

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Update: I just saw an orthopedic hand specialist who says I ruptured one ligament on the side of my finger. He threw away the splint and gave me these fancy velcro strips to wear for about a month. The finger is sore and swollen, but hopefully on the mend.

Questions?  Comments?