Russian influencer Inessa Polenko died unexpectedly while trying to take a photo for her social networks on a dangerous cliff in Georgia, United States. The beauty and fashion content creator died at the age of 39 despite being quickly transferred to the nearest hospital.
The woman, who had more than 8,500 followers on her social networks, shared her trip through the southeastern United States through her Instagram profile. With the aim of getting the best possible photograph, the influencer decided to cross a security barrier that warned of the danger in the area.
Inessa, who was visiting the town of Gragy in the state of Georgia, stood on the edge of a cliff to take a selfie when she lost her balance and fell more than 50 meters.
The fall caused serious injuries, and despite the rapid intervention of the emergency medical team, the young woman ended up dying upon arrival at the hospital.
A study by the iO Foundation, specialized in Tropical and Travel Medicine, has revealed that in the United States there is one death due to selfie every 13 days. The first major increase in cases was recorded, according to the study, in 2014 and grew significantly between 2015 and 2016.
Among these data, the study establishes that the main reason is falls from a height, since these account for almost 50% of the cases, followed by traffic accidents (28.4%) and drownings (13.5%). . However, more than half of the cases occur not only in the United States, but also in Russia, Pakistan and Brazil.
The United States National Library of Medicine has already recommended on several occasions the creation of prohibited areas for selfies. These locations would be created in spaces such as the roofs of high-rise buildings or natural places such as cliffs or mountains with the aim of reducing the number of deaths from this cause.
