Five people died from shark attacks in 2017. A study in 2017 shows every 3 days someone is killed by selfie related accidents. But that number is “just the tip of the iceberg,” say the study’s authors, because such deaths are often reported to other causes. This year the number must be even worse. The study also found that the people who died while taking selfies were mostly male (about 72 percent) and under the age of 30 (86 percent). The most common type of death was drowning, which often occurred after the selfie-taker was washed away by waves on a beach or a boat. Next were “transport” deaths, which most frequently happened when someone was taking a selfie too close to a moving vehicle. Those were followed by deaths from falls, fires, firearms and animals. Here are some examples how people die:
A man visiting a park in eastern India was beaten to death by a bear while trying to take a selfie with the wounded animal.
A British man and an Australian woman fell to their deaths while taking a selfie atop a cliff overlooking a popular Portuguese beach.
A teenager died after she shot herself in the head while taking a series of selfies with a loaded gun.
A young woman died after falling into Lake Superior from a 60-meter-cliff while positioning herself for a selfie.
