Posted on 11/06/2014 5:58:05 AM PST by Brother Cracker
SEVILLE, Spain, It was a bridge too far for Polish nursing student Sylwia Rajchel, 23, who suffered fatal injuries when she fell from Spain's Puente de Triana span in Seville as she attempted to take a selfie while vacationing there.
Rajchel tumbled 15 feet to the bridge's concrete footing. Medics managed to revive her at the scene after she went into cardiac arrest, but she died soon after arriving at a local hospital. A town official called the fall "tragic" and said investigators are considering ways to improve the safety of the 19th century bridge, one of the most photographed sites in Europe.
Rajchel had taught herself Spanish and hoped to live in the country once she had earned her degree, said her mom. "Going to Spain was a dream come true for my daughter," she added.
Officials in Spain last grappled with unsafe selfies when participants in the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona stopped to pose for photos with the charging beasts. The region passed a law before the event cracking down on reckless selfies, calling for fines up to $2,050 for anyone who endangers people's lives by filming or taking photos.
Selfie-obsessed Tour de France fans were also criticized last summer for turning their backs on racers to pose for photos, creating a serious hazard for the athletes. One cyclist called it a "dangerous mix of vanity and stupidity."
OK this just sucks.
Wow.
Reminds me of the Polish couple who fell off the side of a cliff while attempting a family selfie.
Selfies are vane and dangerous.
I hate the idea of “Selfies.” I even hate the word “Selfie.” Its time for government to BAN them.
Government banning eh?
If that’s the bridge in question, the guard rail looks more than adequate. I wonder what the young lady was doing.
Dangerous — Esp if Moochelle disapproves.
Speculation but based on the articles statement that she fell to the concrete footings, and noting that the footings are directly beneath a lamp post, suspecting she climbed atop the guard rail and was clinging to the lamp post in some way and lost her balance.
Police said Sylwia Rajchel, 23, from the city of Lublin in eastern Poland, was balancing on the ledge of the bridge when the accident happened just after midnight.
-— the article also says it’s a popular tourist attraction and there are a lot of bars and clubs in the area
Alcohol, ledges, and after midnight is a bad combination.
The selfie polka
Dumb Pollaks?
In college I crept across the Longfellow Bridge in Boston. The bridge crosses the Charles River to Cambridge. Around midnight. In the winter. Along the arched spans and footings under the bridge. Alcohol was not involved.
Yes, one can be stupid without alcohol as well.
I remember it well ....
Darwin nominee
What a trage...wait....stop..hahahahaha....laughing...lol..hehhee...too...stupid...to live....
So sad. She was somebody’s daughter. As a parent, I just don’t want to imagine it.
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