Each year people die doing unusual things, but there’s one mode of death that is on the rise. Taking a selfie is the last thing some people do before they expire, and it is now more common to die in this way than from a shark attack. Here are just a few ways that people have died whilst taking selfies and why there’s a safety message for us all.
Fatal Animal Attraction
A man in China took a selfie with a walrus and ended up being dragged into the water and killed. This guy visited the Xixiakou Wildlife Park in Rongcheng and liked the walrus so much he wanted a photo to upload. While posing, he failed to notice the 1.5-ton beast drag him towards the water’s edge, where both he and the keeper died shortly afterwards.
Then there was the guy who picked up a rattlesnake so he could pose for a selfie with it. He almost lost his hand in this foolhardy incident.
An Explosive Way to Go
Taking selfies with a loaded gun as a prop is popular and has killed several people, including a 21-year-old from Mexico. In Russia, two soldiers thought they would pose for a selfie with a live grenade, probably to look cool. Unfortunately, the grenade was more sensitive than they thought, and it exploded, killing them both. Incredibly, the phone survived the explosion.
This and several other deaths from taking selfies with ordnance prompted the Russian government to issue an education leaflet on ways of taking a selfie safely.
That will make a great profile pic!
…KABOOM…
Run Away From the Bulls
Pamplona in Spain is renowned for its Running of the Bulls Festival, where bulls run through the streets, chasing the crowd. The aim of the game is to stay ahead and away from the bulls. Not David Gonzalez Lopez. This 32-year-old was only there for the selfies and decided to pose for one with two bulls heading straight for him. He was gored by the beasts and did not survive.
Posing in front of huge waves is dangerous too, as a group of people found out in the Philippines when they posed in front of the Bangui Windmills. A massive wave swept 18-year-old Chezka Agas into the sea, where she drowned. Taking that all important selfie on a boat in India turned out to be a fatal move. Seven young men all stood on one side of the boat to get the perfect shot and it capsized, resulting in them drowning,
Falling From a Height
Falling from a tall building or monument is one of the most common ways to die while taking a selfie. Sometimes the need to take an awesome shot on the edge is a selfie too far. Just like the lady who stood too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon while taking a group selfie with friends: She tripped and fell 400 feet to her death. Or sometimes the lure of a spectacular view causes people to wander into restricted zones for that elusive selfie.
At Machu Picchu, a German tourist slipped off the edge of a cliff while taking a selfie and died. For one Japanese tourist at the Taj Mahal, the perfect selfie ended up going tragically wrong when he failed to see the steps behind him and fell to his death. Some attractions have imposed selfie-free zones to try and avoid these accidents.
Selfies are on the increase, and people lose all sense of reason when there’s a chance to get that awesome shot. If there is any inkling of danger or you’re in a situation where need to concentrate, then don’t take a selfie. You may live to see another day — and your pictures.
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