Woman Falls Off 300-Foot Tower While Taking Selfie After Bungee Jump
A woman in Russia slipped and fell to her death while taking a selfie next to her son atop a 300-foot tower.
Elizaveta Gushchina, described as an “extreme sports enthusiast” by local media, had just jumped from an abandoned smoke stack in a suburb of St. Petersburg.
There is video footage of the jump showing Gushchina performing a handstand on a platform before jumping off while attached to a bungee.
After the successful stunt, Gushchina reportedly climbed back on the tower but this time without a safety line since she wasn’t planning on jumping again.
Instead she took a selfie with her 22-year-old son Nikita, who is part of the same extreme sports club. But as she took the photo, Gushchina lost her balance, slipping on the wet platform, and plummeted to her death.
“She secured herself to a rope used for rope jumping, but did not set the required safe length, a source tells Russian outlet REN TV. “Then, approaching the edge, the woman slipped on a wet board, fell from a height, and died.”
Fontanka reports that Gushchina was there as part of her birthday celebrations; she had turned 45 the day before. Authorities are now investigating whether the bungee jumping club based in the town of Pavlosk acted in accordance with the law.
“Yesterday, under tragic circumstances, experienced jumper and mother of two children Liza passed away,” the extreme sports club says in a statement.
“Elizaveta Gushchina, along with her son Nikita, is a member of our sports team. Now the entire team is mourning this loss. This is a very big tragedy for us.”
‘Selficide’
Unfortunately, it is yet another horrific example of a person losing their life over a photo. The fact that Gushchina had just performed a death-defying stunt but then failed to take enough care when taking a celebratory photo points to the problem.
It is similar to Russian tourist Olga Perminova who died in Sri Lanka in February while leaning out of a train for a photo.
Image credits: Telegram
