Just taking a selfie has proven to be an act that carries the risk of injury. Unfortunately for a 43-year-old Concrete, Washington man, that injury turned out to be death, reports the Skagit Valley Herald.
According to Chad Clark, a Skagit County Sheriff Office official, the man and his girlfriend were taking pictures of themselves while at a suburban residence. The man was holding a gun while taking the selfies, with the girlfriend saying the man removed the bullets and reloaded the gun several times.
Unfortunately, there was a bullet that wasn’t removed after the last reload. Thinking the gun was empty, the man pulled the trigger while the gun was aimed at his head, and the gun discharged, resulting in his death. According to Clark, the death is currently under investigation as an accident.
To say that selfies aren’t worth dying for is a sentiment that shouldn’t have to be repeated, yet 2016 has already seen nine people, including this Concrete, Washington man, die while taking selfies. At this rate, 2016 should see more selfie-related deaths than 2015, which reports suggested had 27 selfie-related deaths around the world. Over half of those 27 deaths took place in India, which led the country’s capital city, Mumbai, to impose 16 no-selfie zones at locations around the city deemed too dangerous for taking self-portraits.
Out of the nine selfie-related deaths so far this year, seven have taken place in India. The string of accidents have included everything from falling in a canal to being hit by a passenger train, all occurring while taking self-portraits. Most recently, a group of five tourists fell off a cliff while taking selfies, and two of them sustained serious injuries. No one in that group died, though it is not hard to imagine that result.
