A tragedy struck this Tuesday when a New Zealand tourist tried to take a selfie. The man was leaning out of a moving train in Thailand, trying to take a photo of himself. He sadly lost his balance, plunging 33 feet (10m) to his death.
The terrible accident took place on 27 December in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. According to The Straits Times, Patrick Ward (45) was riding a train over the World War II “death railway” connecting Thailand and Burma. He reportedly opened a train door and tried to take a selfie while showing the view outside. However, he slipped on the steps at the door and fell.
The same source notes that a tourist captured Ward’s fall on video, witnessing the man falling on his back. There is no ladder in that area, or any other way for the rescuers to reach Ward, so they had to improvised. “When rescuers spotted him, he was barely breathing,” The Straits Times reports. “Rescuers tried to resuscitate him for about half an hour but their efforts were in vain.” Sadly, this isn’t the first train-related accident I’ve heard of or reported about. In recent years, there have been several deaths caused by a lack of attention while taking photos. However, all of these cases happened on train tracks, as you can’t hear the train coming while it’s almost on top of you. This is the first time I’ve heard of someone opening the door of a moving train for a selfie, and I’m honestly shocked if this is what truly happened. After a tragic story like this, I guess it goes without saying – please don’t dangle out of a moving train just to take photos. It’s not worth losing your life over a photo, and the view through the window is just as beautiful, yet much, much safer! [via PetaPixel]
