10 Photographs Taken Moments Before Tragedy

Warning: The following photos may disturb some readers.

A picture really does paint a thousand words. We all have last photographs, but some are often not taken moments before tragedy occurs. The following photographs were taken just moments prior to a fatal outcome.

1. Pavel Kashin

Russian Freerunner Pavel Kashin fell to his death after mistiming a back flip on a wall next to a 16 storey drop, as he lost his balance once he landed. This photo is of his last ever jump before the tragic event occurred.

Watch Pavel Kashinin all his freerunning glory below…

2. The Train Tragedy

The man pictured above was a 58 year old Ki-Suk Han, father and husband who was pushed by Naeem Davis, a homeless man who Ki-Suk had argued with. The argument was reportedly started by Han, who had drunkenly left his home after an argument with his wife.

Naeem blamed his actions on the voices in his head, drugs and a lost pair of boots. He claimed Ki-Suk Han would not leave him alone, and he acted following harassment, stating he didn’t mean to push so hard. He pleaded not guilty in court, but was charged with second degree murder after he implicated himself during the investigation.

3. Travis Alexander

This photo of Travis Alexander in the shower was taken just moments before his murder in 2008. He was savagely murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias. He was found dead on the floor of his shower with 27 stab wounds, a gunshot wound to the head and a slashed throat.

Arias claimed she had no involvement in the murder of her ex-boyfriend, claiming he must have been killed during a robbery; however, she later altered her statement, stating she acted in self-defence.
Her trial will begin on 8th September 2014.

4. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17

This selfie was taken of Gary Slok and his mother, Petra, when they were travelling on the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, travelling to Kuala Lumpar. Tragically, the plane was shot down over Eastern Ukraine. No-one survived the tragic attack.

5. The Bachelorette Girls

These two friends took this happy selfie whilst heading to a bachelorette party. Less than a minute later, the pair were involved in a head on collision, and Collette did not survive the crash. A tragic snapshot of how sudden death can be.

6. Xenia Ignatyeva

The person in this photo is Xenia Ignatyeva. The 17-year-old Russian, who loved taking daredevil selfies, sadly lost her balance whilst posing for a picture on a bridge. She unfortunately fell onto a cable and was electrocuted.

7. Oscar Otero Aguilar

Oscar Otero Aguilar sadly died when he attempted to take a selfie with a gun held to his head. The event occurred in July 2014, with Aguilar planning to upload the photo to his Facebook page.

8. Regina Kay Walters

This is possibly the most disturbing photograph in this list. The image features 14-year-old Regina Kay Walters, and was taken by the serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades. This photograph was taken just moments before her death.

9. Jamie Livingston

Jamie Livingston was an NYC film student who took a Polaroid each day to chronicle his life. However, he was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumour and died in 1979. A project that started out as a happy account soon turned into something more poignant. Click here to view the sad and uplifting collection.

10. The Assassination

At first glance, the above image just looks like a snapshot of a happy family; however, if you look a little closer, you will see a shooter aiming a gun at the photographer, and the assassin’s lookout. The person behind the camera was Filipino politician Reynaldo Dagsa.

This photograph was taken on New Year’s Day 2011, and the victim was killed just seconds after it was taken. The people in the photograph are of his wife, daughter and elderly relative. The photograph led to the arrest of both men.

The above images prove just how fleeting life can be and that we should treasure each and every moment.