List of selfie-related injuries and deaths

This is a list of serious injuries and deaths that occurred during, or in immediate connection with, the taking of a selfie.^[1][2] The Telegraph wrote that, in 2015, more people were killed taking selfies than by shark attacks.^[3] As of February 2016, India has recorded more selfie-related deaths than any other country.^[4][5]

2014

March

• A 21-year-old Spanish man died from electrocution after climbing on top of a train to take a selfie with friends and touching a wire that (contrary to the assumptions of the group) turned out to be live. One of the friends was taken to hospital and as of 18 March remained "in serious condition".^[6]

April

• A 17-year-old Russian amateur photographer climbed atop a railway bridge in Saint Petersburg to take a selfie. She lost her balance and fell to her death.^[7][8]
• A 32-year-old woman from North Carolina collided with a truck moments after posting selfies of herself online.^[9]

May

• Puerto Rican musician Jadiel El Tsunami died in an accident shortly after taking a selfie on his motorbike.^[10] He had previously released a track entitled, "Me Descontrolo" ("I lose control").^[11][12]
• In the United States, the pilot of a Cessna 150K and his passenger were killed when the pilot was distracted taking selfies and lost control of the plane.^[13]
• In Kerala, India, a 15-year-old boy was killed instantly by a speeding train while posing for a selfie on the track.^[14]

June

• A 16-year-old girl died in Italy after plunging 60 feet while she was trying to take a photograph of herself on the seafront during a school trip to the seaside town of Taranto.^[15]

July

• A 14-year-old high school student in the Philippines fell to her death after losing her balance while taking a selfie with a friend near a staircase landing of their school in suburban Pasig. According to doctors, she sustained a sharp blow to the head from the fall and broke a rib which pierced a kidney.^[16]

August

• A 15-year-old boy in the Philippines was critically wounded after accidentally shooting himself while taking a selfie in which his other hand was holding a gun to his chin.^[17]
• A 21-year-old Mexican veterinarian, who had been drinking, pointed a gun to his temple for a selfie and released a shot, killing himself.^[18]
• A Polish couple fell to their death off a cliff in Portugal after crossing a safety barrier to take a selfie with their children. Their two children who were present at the scene survived.^[19]
• In Kerala, India, a 14-year-old boy got electrocuted while attempting to take a selfie on top of a stationary train.^[20]

October

• An 18-year-old woman drowned in the Philippines after posing for a group selfie on a beach with friends and being captured by a strong wave.^[21][22][23]

November

• A 23-year-old student from Poland fell to her death while trying to take a selfie on the ledge of the Puente de Triana in Seville, Spain.^[24][25]

2015

January

• A 21-year-old South African woman died after falling from Northcliff Hill, Johannesburg, as a male companion was setting up a tripod for a selfie. Reports vary as to the identity of the companion.^[26][27]
• Two young men died in the Ural mountains as they pulled the pin from a hand grenade to take a selfie, which remained as evidence of the circumstances of their deaths.^[28]
• Three Indian students aged 20 to 22 died trying to take a "daredevil selfie" close to an oncoming train on railway tracks of Mathura, near Kosikala.^[29]

March

• Seven Indian youths drowned while taking selfies on Mangrul Lake near Kuhi, about 20 km from Nagpur, India. Their boat had tipped over as they were standing up to pose.^[30][31]

May

• An 18-year-old Romanian teenager died when she attempted to take the "ultimate selfie", posing with a friend on top of a train in the north-eastern Romanian city of Iași when her leg touched a live wire above, sending an electrical surge of up to 27,000 volts through her body. A 17-year-old friend who accompanied her was hospitalised.^[32]
• A teenager climbed on a railway bridge in the Ryazan region in Russia to take a selfie and died when he came in contact with live wires.^[33]
• A 21-year-old Russian woman asked a security guard at her office to give her a 9-millimeter rubber-bullet pistol for taking a selfie and accidentally shot herself in the head, sustaining heavy injuries.^[34]
• A 21-year-old man from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, fell into the crater of Mount Merapi and died while attempting to take a selfie.^[35][36]
• A Singaporean tourist died after falling into the sea while taking a selfie on a cliff in Nusa Lembongan, an island off the coast of Bali, Indonesia.^[37]

July

• A 21-year-old Russian university graduate died after falling from a bridge while she was trying to take a memorable selfie next to the Moscow City financial district.^[38]
• A man from San Diego was hospitalised for five days following an attempt to take a selfie with a rattlesnake.^[39][40]
• A woman in Yellowstone National Park was gored by an American bison while taking a selfie. She was treated for injuries.^[41]

August

• A man died in the annual bull-running festival in the town of Villaseca de la Sagra trying to take a selfie with the animals.^[42]

September

• A 19-year-old from Houston died after trying to take an Instagram selfie while holding a loaded gun to his head. He accidentally fired the gun and shot himself in the throat.^[43]
• A Japanese tourist fell down a staircase to his death while taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India.^[44]
• A 17-year-old Russian student fell to his death attempting to take a selfie while hanging from a nine-story building.^[45]
• An Indian engineering student died while taking selfies with friends at Kolli Hills, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India, when the rock on which he was standing cracked and gave way, plunging him 60 feet and causing his death from head injuries.^[46][47]

October

• A 14-year-old from Barcelona was hospitalised with electric shock after trying to take a selfie on the roof of a train car.^[48]

November

• Two engineering students of Wadhwan, Gujarat, India, drowned in Narmada Canal after slipping down the bank while taking selfies.^[49]
• BA first-year student of the Kalyani Mahavidyalaya College Sourav Dey died and another was critically injured in the Kalyani area in Nadia district of West Bengal, India as they were run over by a train while they were taking selfies. Both the students were taking selfies on the track when they were hit by a train.^[50]
• A 14-year-old, Sahil C. Eshwarkar, who was trying to take a selfie atop a stationary train wagon at Nahur station yard in Mumbai, India, was electrocuted and died a few hours later. He accidentally came in contact with a 25,000-volt overhead electrical wire and was electrocuted, suffering 80 per cent burns.^[51][52][52]

December

• 22-year-old Jamshaid, son of a railway employee of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, died while attempting to take a selfie while standing on the track in front of a moving train.^[53]
• A 33-year-old man distracted by an electronic device fell to his death at Sunset Cliffs, San Diego.^[54]

2016

January

• A 19-year-old student fell from the top of a 20-story apartment building in Manila, Philippines, while taking a selfie. According to her classmate, "she was not satisfied with the photos they had taken so she decided to climb up the parapet wall".^[55]
• Abhishek Gupta, age 20, fell to death while taking a selfie from the top of the Reasi Fort at Jammu and Kashmir, India.^[56]
• A 20-year-old college girl named Tarannum drowned at Bandstand Promenade in Bandra, Mumbai. She is believed to have been swept away in the high tide. According to the girl's friends, they were taking selfies, standing on the rock, close to the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL). "The girls were standing 50 metres away from the shore when the water suddenly rose. They did not notice water rising and remained on the rock taking pictures (selfies). One of the girls was pulled into the water due to high tide."^[57][58]

February

• A 16-year-old boy was killed by a passenger train while taking a selfie with an approaching train in Chennai, India. "The teen reportedly walked in front of the train and waited for it to come closer before taking the photo."^[59]
• A college student drowned after falling off of the Waldevi Dam in Nashik, India, while taking a selfie.^[60][61]
• Three students of Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences drowned after falling in an irrigation canal in Hulivana village, 180 km from Bengaluru, India, reportedly while they were clicking selfies.^[62]
• An Argentinian crowd seeking selfies was held responsible for the death of a La Plata dolphin.^[63] It has however been claimed that the dolphin was already dead.^[64]

March

• On March 2, 2016, a man in Concrete, Washington, shot himself in the face with a gun and died while taking a selfie.^[65]
• On March 12, 2016, a 30-year-old man fell off Lion Rock in Hong Kong and died while taking a selfie.^[66]

April

• On April 5, 2016, 16-year-old Manjeet Chowdhary climbed a rock fountain at a zoo in Hyderabad, India, apparently to take a selfie. He slipped, fell into the water and may have hit his head on a rock. He was taken to hospital where his death was recorded.^[67][68]
• On April 15, 2016, two youths were run over by a train while taking selfies on the railway tracks at Purushottampur railway crossing in Chunar area in Mirzapur district in UP state of India.^[69]

May

• A 15-year-old boy from Pathankot, India, died on 1 May 2016 after he accidentally shot himself with his father's revolver while taking a selfie with the gun pointed at his head.^[70]

References

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10. Upadhye, Neeti (12 May 2014). "Jadiel el Tsunami 'was my only brother'". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
11. Davy V. (11 May 2014). "Puerto Rican Reggaeton Music Star Jadiel El Tsunami Killed in Rochester, NY Motorcycle Accident". davyv.blogspot.de.
12. Jadiel "El Incomparable" - Me Descontrolo (Official Video). YouTube. 7 June 2012.
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22. Corrales, Nestor (15 October 2014). "Selfie in front of Bangui windmills turns deadly". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
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67. Uma Sudhir (5 April 2016). "Teen Dies While Taking Selfie At Zoo A Day After Final Exam". Retrieved 23 April 2016. Manjeet and his family were near the butterfly park when he climbed a rock fountain almost three times his height, apparently to take a selfie from the top.
68. Express News Service (6 April 2016). "Another Selfie Death, This Time at Hyderabad Zoological Park". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 April 2016. At around 1.30 pm, the family reached the Butterfly Park when Manjeet entered the no-entry zone to risk a selfie.
69. "2 killed while taking selfie on railway tracks". The Times of India. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016. While returning from the temple, they stopped at the railway tracks to take selfies, said police. They got so engrossed in the act that they could not hear or see Brahmputra Mail approaching on the same tracks.
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Further reading

• Segan, Sascha (4 February 2015). "6 Lethal Selfies You Need to Learn From". PC Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
• "Selfie deaths: five people who died taking a selfie". The Week. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.