One recently reported selfie error occurred in India in late September 2016. Here a man was been bitten by a python after trying to take a selfie with the creature. This strange event took place in India’s northwestern Rajasthan state.
The snake was discovered in a school, which prompted the forest department to be called to remove it. After taking the python out of harm’s way the officials stood around holding the python and posing for pictures.
One of the forest department staff moved in closer for a selfie and was then attacked by the snake. According to Sky News the snake lunged forward and bit him on the shoulder. Fortunately the man only suffered minor injuries. The fate of the snake is unknown.
A few selfie related accidents, sadly, end in fatalities. Globally this is to the extent that selfie deaths exceed deaths from shark attacks. The recorded statistics reveal that 49 people have died from selfies between the start of 2014 and mid-2016. Of these, 75 percent of the victims are male, of an average age 21 years old.
The most common accidental deaths are shooting selfies from great heights, from in or near water, and on train tracks. Of the 49 recorded deaths:
16 people died from falling off a cliff or a tall building
14 drowned.
Eight died standing next to an oncoming train.
The other reasons are violent: gunshot (four), grenade (two), plane crash (two), car crash (two), and animal (one).
One of the most tragic selfie relate deaths occurred in Turkey, in December 2015. Five teenagers laid down in the middle of the road near an airport to get a selfie with a plane landing in the background. This was at night. Unfortunately a truck driver did not see them and accidentally ran over them, killing two of them.
Of the most vulnerable countries, India comes top, accounting for almost half of the recorded selfie deaths.
