A 22-year-old Brazilian futsal player fell from a 25-story building while recording social media content in Balneario Camboriu, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
The incident occurred on December 8, 2024, when Carol Oliviera was filming on the building’s helipad.
Oliviera, who played for the Centro de Tijucas futsal team, fell approximately 300 feet from the Empire of the Sun Building while focused on her phone screen. Her brother, who was present during the incident, was also recording on his own device.
Local emergency services located Oliviera’s body at the base of the building. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Beyond her athletic career, Oliviera worked for a school bus service. Her former futsal coach, Angelica Solidade, described her impact on the team. “Everyone liked her, from adults to the young players she looked after,” Solidade said.
Oliviera had represented her team in the Tijucas Women’s Municipal Futsal Championship earlier this year. Following the incident, Solidade established a fundraiser to assist Oliviera’s family with funeral expenses.
This incident adds to a growing pattern of similar occurrences globally. Research indicates that since 2008, nearly 400 injuries or deaths have been reported worldwide in connection with phone-related photography incidents. Studies show that victims are predominantly female tourists in their early twenties, with falls being one of the leading causes.
The incident comes after a tragic accident occurred at Tegelberg Mountain in Bavaria, Germany in August, where 23-year-old gymnast Natalie Stichova lost her life. She fell approximately 262 feet while attempting to take a selfie at the location, which is believed to have inspired Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. She was pronounced dead six days after the incident.
Another fatal accident occurred at the Gagry viewing point in Abkhazia, overlooking the Black Sea, when 39-year-old beautician, Inessa Polenko, fell approximately 170 feet. According to witnesses, she had gone beyond the safety barrier while attempting to take a selfie and lost her balance. Despite rapid emergency response and transport to a hospital, she did not survive the fall from the panoramic clifftop platform.
These incidents add to growing concerns about the safety risks associated with taking selfies in dangerous locations, with some researchers suggesting it represents a significant public health issue.