17-year-old distracted by smartphone falls to her death

People examine the site where a 17-year-old female student fell to her death while walking along the path above and playing with a cellphone on October 10 in Shiyan, Hubei Province. There are still traces of blood below. Photo: Shiyan Evening News

A student fell to her death from a path in Shiyan, Hubei Province while playing with a smartphone as she walked with friends to a dinner held in her honor on October 10.

The 17-year-old surnamed Shang, a vocational school student, died in the hospital from injuries after she fell from a narrow path along a residential building next to a 15-meter drop.

The accident occurred at 11 pm as Shang headed for a farewell dinner with friends to celebrate the end of her one-month internship at a restaurant. There are no guardrails or lamps along the path.

A companion, Gong Wenjing, was hospitalized for fractures sustained after he jumped after Shang in an attempted rescue.

"Shang was walking behind me along the edge and totally distracted while playing with a coworker's cell phone," said Gong, an employee of a local restaurant where Shang had interned. "We were all talking and laughing the whole way," he added.

"Shang was returning to school the next day. What happened to her is so tragic," said a manager at the restaurant surnamed Li.

The accident has raised safety concerns in the community, who have turned to the local government for help.

"It is too dangerous for a road along such a steep drop to not have a railing," said a local resident.