Tourist Dies Taking Bridge Selfie

Polish student Sylwia Rajchel, 23, fell off bridge during 'dream vacation' to Spain
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 5, 2014 2:21 PM CST
Updated Nov 9, 2014 7:00 PM CST
Tourist Dies Taking Bridge Selfie
The Puente de Triana bridge in Seville, Spain.   (Shutterstock)

Vacationing in Spain was 23-year-old Sylwia Rajchel's dream, says her mother. But that dream turned into a nightmare this week when the Polish medical student posed to take a selfie on the Puente de Triana bridge in Seville, lost her footing, and fell 15 feet to her death, reports Central European News via the New York Post. Rajchel went into cardiac arrest and died later at a hospital, Yahoo reports. "This was a tragic accident, and we are looking to make that stretch of boulevard along the river safer," a city spokesman tells CEN. Rajchel, who was from the town of Lublin, was studying to be a nurse at a university in southern Poland.

"Going to Spain was a dream come true for my daughter," her mother, Bernadeta, tells CEN. "She had taught herself the language and was hoping to work there in the future after finishing her studies." The bridge, which was built between 1845 and 1852, according to Structurae, is now surrounded by local hot spots and is a popular picture-taking location for visitors. "She was a beautiful, smiling girl who had her whole life ahead of her," Bernadeta tells CEN. "It's hard to believe what's happened, that I will never see Sylwia again." (Earlier this year, a teen was killed taking a selfie on the train tracks.)

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