Image via Complex Original
Selfies may have started out innocent enough, but as Instagram and Facebook culture have weaved themselves deeper into our lives, they've become something more of a contest to see who can get the best smile, the craziest background, or the sexiest angle. As fun as it may have been when social media first came out, selfies have become more extreme as time has gone on. And in order to get validation that your shot was worth it, one "like" won't cut it. In order to get Internet famous, people have pushed the limits, often putting themselves in danger in order to get the desired picture. That's the kicker: danger is what makes the selfie that more interesting in their eyes, which means more "likes."
Yet many of those selfies don't get any clicks, because some of them never get to be posted. Or, if they were, the taker of the selfie never gets to see how many hits their picture received. That's because some selfies end in tragedy: while the taker was focusing on their face, they weren't paying attention to the world around them. Here are some of the most recent incidents.
17-Year-Old Gets Electrocuted, Falls From Bridge Trying to Take Selfie
Date: April 2014
Xenia Ignatyeva, a 17-year-old from Saint Petersberg, fell to her death when she attempted to climb a railway bridge to take a selfie. According to her grandmother, police told her that Xenia "wanted to take a snap of herself at night, to give it the most dramatic effect and with the railway line as a backdrop." As she fell, Xenia tried to grab ahold of live cables and was electrocuted as her friend watched below. Her friend, Oksana Zhankova, was reportedly paralyzed with shock when paramedics found her crouching over her friend's body.
Woman Crashes After Taking "HAPPY" Selfies
Date: April 2014
Thirty-two-year-old Courtney Sanford drove down US highway Interstate 85 on an early April morning this year, posting selfies and updating her Facebook status at the same time. “The happy song makes me so HAPPY," she posted at 8:33 a.m. At 8:34 a.m., reports of a crash began coming in to authorities. It turns out that Sanford's car had crossed the center divider, and crashed into a recycling truck and burst into flames. Police said there seemed to be no evidence of drugs or speed involved in the crash, only Facebook.
“In a matter of seconds, a life was over just so she could notify some friends that she was happy. It’s really not worth it,” High Point Police Department spokesperson Lt Chris Weisner said.
Teen Dies Taking Selfie Next to a Train
Date: May 2014
A 15-year-old Indian boy stood on the tracks with an oncoming train approaching for a selfie he wanted to post on social media in May. When the train came barreling down the track, the boy—who has only been identified as "Edwin"—didn't get out of the way in time. He was killed instantly by the train, with his brother and friends looking on. If this sounds familiar to you, that's because another teen tried taking a video selfie next to a moving train a few months back, and was kicked in the head by the conductor.
Italian Girl Falls 60 Feet While Trying to Take Selfie
Date: June 2014
An Italian girl died while on a school trip to the town of Taranto in south-eastern Italy, when she stopped to take a selfie along the town's seafront. The girl, 16-year-old Isabella Fracchiolla, fell nearly 60 feet, landing on jagged rocks that broke her femur, pelvis, and head. She was raced to the hospital by paramedics, and died after a major operation to save her life.
Bride-to-Be Takes Car Selfie, Crashes Minutes Later
Date: June 2014
Bride-to-be Colette Moreno was on her way to a resort this June for some pre-wedding partying when she snapped a selfie of her and the driver, Ashley Theobald, and posted it to Facebook. Just a few minutes later, Moreno's asthma starting acting up due to traffic fumes, so Theobald went to drive past a truck that was in front of them. "We both thought it was clear and there was a hill that neither one of us saw," Theobald said. As soon as she switched lanes, an on-coming truck sped toward them, and as she swerved to get out of its way, it swerved their direction as well. Moreno died in the ensuing crash.
"I've never had a friend like her. I won't ever have a friend like her," Theobald, who suffered minor injuries, said.
Mexico City Man Shoots Himself in Head While Taking Selfie With a Gun
Date: August 2014
Alcohol, guns, and selfies aren't a good mix. The best example of this is what happened in Mexico City earlier this month, when 21-year-old Oscar Otero Aguilar partied with two friends. He decided to take a selfie with a borrowed .45-caliber pistol with the plan of posting it to Facebook. When he brought the pistol to his forehead, Aguilar accidentally fired off a single round. “I heard a gunshot, and then I heard somebody screaming and realized somebody had been hurt. I called the police straight away and when they arrived they found that he was still alive,” a neighbor told the media.
He was pronounced dead shortly after. Police arrested Aguilar's friend, Omar Abner Campos Vives, while his friend, "El Paco" took off running, even though police have no reason to believe it wasn't an accident.
Polish Couple Falls From Cliff After Posing For Selfie in Portugal
Date: August 2014
A Polish couple fell from a cliff earlier this week while posing for a selfie in Cabo da Roca, Portugal. According to authorities, the couple had climbed over a safety barrier to get a better view before taking pictures of themselves. Their children, ages 5 and 6, watched them as they fell over. Not only that, but the family had to wait more than a day for authorities to recover their bodies due to bad weather. If there's a safety barrier, it's there for a reason, folks. We're sure just the memories of being somewhere with your family beats any photo you might take.
