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Police: Woman Fell Off Pier While Texting

ST. JOSEPH (WWJ/AP) - Sheriff's deputies in southwest Michigan say two people had to be rescued from the water, after one fell in while texting and the other tried to rescue her.

The St. Joseph Police Department says Bonnie Miller of Benton Harbor, who is in her 40s, fell off South Pier in St. Joseph near Lake Michigan on Monday night and Rebecca Van Zant of Mishawaka, Ind., jumped in to try to save her.

An officer threw them a flotation device and police pulled them from the water.

Officers who responded found another person holding on to a ladder on the side of the pier. Police had gotten a 911 call about people in the water.

The St. Joseph fire department, Michigan State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted with the rescue effort.

TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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