What's wrong with this sentence?

The race to get news online invites editing lapses that lead to publication of raw to near-raw copy that can carry embarrassing error perhaps not in facts but in the writing. I'd suspect that's what happened in the following sentence from an online report yesterday about the deadly tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma City area:

"It's unknown how many tornadoes actually touched down in Grant County this afternoon, but Wakita Police Chief Dean Bellin saw about five rotating clouds combine as baseball-size hail plummeted the area."

See the questionable word? I suspect the writer meant "pummeled" instead of "plummeted." Still, it's admirable to see hustle in getting news to the public, even if its credibility arrives slightly dented.

Have you seen similar lapses? Feel free to share them.

Comments

[Richie Escovedo]

David, I too have noticed these gaffes in writing. I wish I could remember some of them to share here. The best ones are those that slightly alter the context of the statement just enough to bring a smirk and the thought, "they really didn't mean that."

I do have a concern with trying to be first and/or quick at the detriment of accuracy. Hopefully, we won't see too many of those examples. Those don't bring smirks.

- Richie