Gymnast Falls to Death While Taking Selfie at Castle That Inspired Disney
A professional gymnast plunged to her death while taking a selfie near the castle that inspired Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
On August 15, gymnast Natalie Stichova fell almost 262 feet down Tegelberg Mountain in Bavaria, Germany while taking a photo during a visit to picturesque Neuschwanstein Castle.
The 23-year-old professional athlete, who was from the Czech Republic, was declared dead six days after the fall.
Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most popular castles in Europe. The iconic building is believed to have been the inspiration behind the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland.
Stichova had reportedly been visiting Neuschwanstein Castle with her boyfriend David and two friends.
According to the Metro, Stichova’s friend says that the gymnast had been setting up the shot for a photo in front of the Neuschwanstein castle and was standing very close to the edge of Tegelberg mountain when she slipped.
“She fell from a height of about 80 meters (262 feet),” Stichova’s friend, who wished to remain anonymous, tells reporters.
“We will never find out whether she slipped or whether a piece of the rock edge broke off.”
According to local media reports, Stichova initially survived the fall with serious injuries and the professional athlete was quickly airlifted to hospital by helicopter.
However, on Wednesday, Stichova’s family turned her life support off due to irreversible brain damage.
Death While Taking a Selfie Has Become a Modern Crisis
The tragic incident comes after a recent study suggested that taking selfies may pose a “public health problem” amid the near ubiquitous use of smartphones and social media apps.
The paper scraped news reports of selfie-related deaths as well as a cross-sectional study by the iO Foundation that found 379 people were killed while taking selfies around the world between January 2008 and July 2021.
The researchers identified falls from height as the most common type of selfie-related injury. They said that tourists were most at risk, with the most common cause of death being falling from cliffs or waterfalls while attempting to take a selfie.
The paper also found that before their deaths, people often climbed over barriers and fenced-off areas to reach the perfect selfie spot.
According to the study, the average age of reported victims was around 22 years old. Researchers said that victims of selfie-related injuries were more likely to be female tourists.
Earlier this month, a tourist fell 80 feet to his death while taking a selfie with his girlfriend at a popular waterfall in Bali.
Image credits: Header photo (left) via Instagram and header photo (right) licensed via Depositphotos.
