Dr. Frank Ryan, plastic surgeon to Heidi Montag and other celebrities, was sending a Twitter message about his border collie just before his fatal car accident, says his ex-girlfriend.
"He lived up in Malibu on a tiny street and he was texting while driving and he accidentally went over the cliff,"Charmaine Blake says.
Blake, a celebrity publicist, says Ryan's family was told by investigators that the Tweeting caused the wreck on Monday.
According to law enforcement, Dr. Ryan's Jeep went over the side of Pacific Coast Highway yesterday at around 4:30 PM. The Jeep landed on rocks and lifeguards initially tried to help Ryan, to no avail.
Ryan, who was 50, was trapped in the vehicle and had major head injuries. The Ventura County Fire Department tried hoisting Ryan using a helicopter, but the attempt was called off. Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Minutes before the crash, Ryan Tweeted,
"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!"
Ryan's last Tweet before he died,
"Border collie jill surveying the view from atop the sand dune."
The dog, whose name is Jill -- Blake's middle name -- was in the car at the time of the crash and survived injuries to the head, eye and paw. Law enforcement sources tell us Ryan's dog was found in the ocean and seriously injured. The dog was taken to a local veterinary hospital
The California Highway Patrol confirms Ryan was texting before the crash, but investigators have not officially determined the cause of the accident.
CHP Officer Steven Reid says.
"It is one of the elements that we are investigating,"
Blake says she lived with Ryan from 2003 to 2006. After breaking up, they remained close and Ryan was also helping support her, says Blake.
Blake, 29, says.
"It was the only serious relationship I ever had and he was the love of my life,"
"It was hard for us to stay away from each other."
She adds that she hopes other people learn from this tragedy that
"people should not text and drive at all."
Dr. Ryan appeared on numerous TV shows and even performed plastic surgery on the air.
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