Though there may be different trends across the world, one commonality we all seem to share is a penchant for social media. Further than that, a lot of us value what our social media appearance looks like to others, and for many, that means capturing and sharing the perfect “experience” photos. It’s led a lot of folks down dangerous paths, with influencers — and influencer hopefuls — risking it all for the perfect shot. It’d be easy to dismiss this as foolish; I know I have plenty of times in life. But the reality is that social media presence frenzy is fueled by teens, and when this is the world that we handed to them, who could blame them for seeking a little joy in cultivating their online identity?
A study once revealed that roughly 359 people died between 2008 to 2021 in pursuit of the perfect photo. The Conversation stated that Although men mostly fall victim to drowning, women were “disproportionately” more prone to cliff and waterfall incidents because of their trend to post more “high-risk” imagery.
A 17-year-old Australian girl is now among them after her attempt to capture the sunset turned tragic. According to People, the young girl slipped and fell nearly 100 feet off a Queensland beach cliff after allegedly ignoring barriers to get the perfect sunset shot.
According to News 9 Australia, she was at a lookout on Moffat Beach when she fell, receiving significant head injuries. Though she was alive initially after the fall, she died at the scene. The outlet reported that a women who tried to save her also slipped and ended up with head injuries.
Detective Acting Inspector Peter Hocken from Queensland Police told the outlet that even off-duty medical professionals who were in the area tried to save her.
“They managed to locate this young lady and provided as much assistance as they could,” he said. “Unfortunately, she passed away on scene. Her injuries were quite severe. Life can be a bit unfair, especially at this time before Christmas.”
Even firefighters reportedly were slipping while attempting to reach the teen. “Especially this time of the year, but throughout the whole year, just please respect the barriers that are put in place,” Ryan Dubyk from Queensland Fire and Rescue told the outlet. “Just stay back.”
People noted that the lesser-known beach is not patrolled and visitors are warned to be “wary of the waves,” in addition to several barriers in place to let visitors know how far they should go.
