Strange Deaths 2014: The Year of Death by Selfie

>>Strange Deaths 2015: Another big year for selfie deaths.

This year’s edition of strange deaths reveals a disturbing trend—death by selfie. We found 10 confirmed instances of people who died while putting themselves in a risky position to take a photo. There may have been more, we just didn’t find them. Certainly there are many others who became injured or had close calls when doing the exact same thing.

>> Strange deaths 2015 mid-year check-up: Selfie deaths keep coming.

So as you read on, count yourself lucky that you’re not on the list and please, don’t take unnecessary risks just for the chance to snap that perfect vanity photo. And be mindful that while it’s easy to poke fun at odd or strange deaths, we need to remember that each of these people had loved ones who mourned their loss.

More Strange Deaths

Sunset photographer in tree electrocuted–(February 2014)—According to published reports, 28-year old David Strohm, Jr. of Tustin, California loved to photograph sunsets. On Saturday, February 8^th, 2014 he climbed a tree in his backyard in order to capture what would be his last sunset. As he sat in the tree he reached out and touched a power cable. The wire was live and he was electrocuted. Before the accident, he posted the photograph to his Facebook page. After the incident, a fire service spokesperson stressed how dangerous power lines can be. “This is not a freak thing. If you touch an electrical line you can be electrocuted and you can lose your life,” he said. “Stay away from electrical lines at all times. Do not be curious. Stay away from it even if you think it’s a cable line.”

Texas Newlyweds die in head-on collision with each other— (June 2014)–Early one morning, Nicolas Cruz, 31, and Kristina Munoz, 26, were travelling separately to their jobs at Marhard Pullet Farm near Odell, Texas. According to state police, visibility was poor on the narrow country road that morning and may have been a contributing factor when the two collided head-on. Both died as a result of the crash. The couple had been married less than a year and left behind three small children. Neither was wearing a seatbelt. A Department of Public Safety Trooper told reporters at the time that “It appears speed and the layout of the road, including a hill crest, are going to be factors in the cause of the accident.”

Chinese chef killed by snake he was cooking—(August 2014)–Peng Fan, a chef in Foshan, Southern China was preparing a much sought after dish of snake soup. As part of his preparation, he removed the head of an Indonesian spitting cobra and was preparing the body of the snake for the soup. As he went to dispose of the head some 20 minutes after he severed it, it clamped down on his hand and injected him with deadly venom. Peng did not make it to the hospital in time to receive anti-venom and the bite proved fatal. A police spokesperson told the press, “It is a highly unusual case but it appears to be just an accident. He prepared the snake himself and was just unlucky. There was nothing that could be done to save the man.” Reptiles can remain active for up to an hour after body parts have been removed.

Cricket player fatally struck by ball—(November 2014)–A renowned Australian cricket player, Phillip Hughes, 25, was struck by a ball when it hit him in the neck in an unprotected area just below his left ear. He was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and quickly transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma. Despite this, he succumbed to the blow and passed away two days later. The injury occurred during a match between South Australia and New South Wales. While deaths from playing cricket are said to be rare, another player, Zulfiqar Bhatti of Pakistan died in December 2013 after being struck in the chest.