Czech gymnast Natalie Stichova was on a mountain edge jockeying to get herself in position for an Instagram photo with the famous Neuschwanstein Castle behind her when she fell 80m.
Although the 23-year-old professional gymnast survived the initial fall and was airlifted to the hospital, she had irreversible brain damage. Six days later, her family decided to take her off life support.
Natalie Stichova poses for her Instagram account on Portugal’s Pico do Areeiro. Photo: Natalie Stichova
The accident occurred during an August 15 hike on Tegelberg Mountain in Bavaria, Germany, overlooking the picturesque castle said to have inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
It seems that Stichova, while seeking the best pose, strayed too close to the edge.
The Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Photo: Carsten Steger/Wikimedia
Stichova was with two friends and her boyfriend when the accident occurred. A few days after the incident, one friend told Czech media, “We will never find out whether she [Stichova] slipped or whether a piece of the rock edge broke off.”
Stichova, who trained at Sokol Pribram Sports Gymnastics Club, regularly shared photos of her mountain hikes on Instagram.
Natalie Stichova on an earlier hike. Photo: Natalie Stichova/Instagram
Death by selfie happens all too regularly. According to a Wikipedia page on selfie-related deaths, 379 people died this way between 2008 and 2021. More recently, Moe Sa Nay, a 14-year-old girl with 150,000 followers on social media, died three weeks ago while taking a selfie when she slipped on the wet stones at the Sinywa Waterfall in southeastern Myanmar.
Two years ago, 21-year-old Richard Jacobson fell more than 200m while taking a photograph of himself on one peak in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix. And three years ago, Hong Kong influencer Sofia Cheung died while taking a selfie on her local Pineapple Mountain. The list, unfortunately, goes on and on.
