When simultaneously looking at a phone while performing another task, there is a multitude of things that can go wrong. Not least, paying the ultimate price; death. That’s the tragedy which befell one lady in Nanjing lately, in the City’s tallest building.
The accident happened this past Sunday, 9 April, at around 15:00, in the atrium of the Zifeng Tower shopping mall.
That’s when the lady, standing by a glass guardrail on the the fifth floor, suddenly fell to her death on the the first-basement level, beside a fast-food restaurant.
Onlookers reported that directly before the accident, the lady had been looking at her phone. There was a loud noise and she had gone, reports The Paper.
The woman had appeared to be in her 30s and had been looking at her phone for less than 10 minutes. Nothing about her behaviour appeared out of the ordinary. A nearby retailer stated that police were on the scene a few minutes after the incident to investigate.
With few other additional details emerging, even now, some 4 days after the accident, many questions remain.
Was the glass guardrail in any way compromised? Did it give way while the lady was leaning on it and looking at her phone? Did some other event transpire that led to her fall?
The fatal incident remains under further investigation.
Terrifying as it is, the event does also serve as a sobering reminder as to the need to be vigilant at all times as to our safety when using phones out and about in a public setting.
The Nanjinger reminds:
- Not to look at phones while walking downstairs. That’s asking for trouble. Falling down stairs is no laughing matter
- Not to look at phones while riding an e-bike
- Not to use phones while walking down a street shared by vehicles. Should the driver of a vehicle in motion nearby be also looking at their phone, it’s a bad day for everyone
- When walking down a street shared by vehicles, better to assume all drivers are constantly looking at their phones and not where they are going. Keep out of the way
And as is by now somewhat obvious:
- Not to look at phones when standing beside a great height
