This poor family was forced to watch in absolute horror as their loved one died after she ignored warning signs posted at a popular tourist spot in hopes of capturing the “perfect selfie”. Now, her tragic end is serving as a hard lesson for others and the price of “selfish-selfies.”
The dangers of trying to get the “perfect selfie” were highlighted when a 38-year old Indian-Australian mother, Rosy Loomba, lost her life after attempting to take a photo at the Boroka Lookout near the village of Halls Gap in Victoria.
This tragedy serves as a heartbreaking reminder that no picture is worth a life.
Rosy was visiting the Grampians National Park with her family on Saturday afternoon when she decided to climb over a safety barrier in hopes of capturing an Instagram worthy photo. Despite warnings from police concerning the potential dangers of such behavior, she chose to ignore them and tragically fell 260 feet to her death right in front of her husband and two young sons.
It took emergency personnel more than six hours using a winch to reach and retrieve her body from the rugged terrain below.
Sadly, this isn’t even the first time it has happened at this particular spot. In January 1999, another British tourist fell from Boroka Lookout while vacationing with her family – an accident which could have been avoided if warnings had been heeded then too. That same year, police issued another warning cautioning people against taking unnecessary risks for social media engagement or so called ‘selfies’ – something we unfortunately see all too often these days.
Sgt Russell Brown expressed his frustration by saying “From an emergency services point of view it’s quite frustrating when you see that irresponsible action that can lead to serious injury or death.”
Police Minister Lisa Neville also commented on the tragedy stating “Do not take these [selfies]. It not only puts you at risk but it actually risks our lifesavers and emergency services workers that have to go either to rescue you or your body.”
Unfortunately, there are countless other stories like Rosy’s where people have put themselves in danger while attempting dangerous stunts for likes – something Graham Wood who runs motorcycle tours in the area sadly remarked upon: “I don’t know how you can stop it [from] happening but maybe this incident will help. It’s a hard way to get people to adhere to what should be common sense.”
No amount of ‘likes’ nor ‘shares’ make up for lives lost due careless actions taken by individuals seeking attention online.
