Moments Captured on Film Right Before Tragedy

Robert Overacker Jet Skied to His Death

A genuine act of selflessness that led to death. In 1995, Robert Overacker, an adrenaline addict, attempted to jet ski over Niagara Falls to raise awareness for the homeless. To his surprise and everyone else’s for that matter, his parachute never opened as he lifted to jump across the falls. 

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Due to this mechanical error, Overacker plummeted to his death and was swallowed up by the falls. The image captures the moment when Robert lifts off over Niagara Falls expecting his parachute to open. 

Death at the Windmill

Four engineers were performing routine maintenance at the top of a 67-meter-high wind turbine in Holland when a fire broke out atop the turbine. 

Two of the engineers thankfully managed to escape safe and sound. The other two were trapped at the top and died in the burning flames. In this photo, you can see the pair hugging each other as they await their deaths. We hope the human connection, in the end, may have made facing the situation a bit more bearable.

Monks on Fire

During the time of the Vietnam War, Buddhist monks would set themselves on fire to protest their persecution by the South Vietnamese government. Many consequently died and many more suffered permanently-scarring injuries from the deep burns all over their bodies. 

The photo shows monk Thích Quang Duc being covered in gasoline just before lighting himself on fire in June 1963 in Saigon. His act, despite its horrifying nature, would bring international attention, including from sitting U.S President John F. Kennedy, to the persecution taking place.

Tina Watson’s Last Breaths

Tina and Gabe Watson were newlyweds on their honeymoon to Australia. Gabe wanted to go diving at the Great Barrier Reef, and to convince Tina to do so, he told her that he was a certified scuba diver. That was a blatant lie.  

When the currents got too strong, Gabe quickly swam back to the surface, leaving Tina behind to perish, later saying an ear problem prevented him from diving down deeper to help her. This image depicts Tina on her last breath, lying sideways on the seafloor behind another diver posing, oblivious to what was happening behind them.

Dagsa Takes a Shot of His Killer Moments Before His Death

Filipino politician Reynaldo Dagsa accidentally photographed a gang member who, moments later, would take his life. Just as the politician was taking a picture of his daughter, wife, and mother-in-law, the hitman pops into the image and points the gun at Dagsa which would ultimately end his life.

He then pressed the camera button to take his last photograph. Luckily, his three relatives were unharmed as the assassination was clearly meant for him only. Moments after he took this photo, Dagsa was shot in cold blood. 

A Lethal Daredevil Act

In 1980 while performing his own stunt, Indian actor Krishnan Nair, better known as Jayan, fell to his death. He had been a well-known emblem of 1970s India who performed in many action films and had a distinct and macho style.

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During the filming of the movie Kolilakkam, Jayan was performing a daredevil stunt on a flying helicopter, which he insisted on doing multiple takes off. When the helicopter he was hanging on lost control, Jayan was killed. He is caught here on film, seconds before tragedy struck. 

Minutes Before Jumping to Her Death

A couple of tourists asked for their picture to be taken with Niagara Falls as the backdrop. Little did they know that the Japanese student lurking in the background was contemplating her suicide. Imagine, innocently getting your picture taken and recording the last image of an unknown person, minutes before she jumps to her death.

In this image, Ayano Tokumasu is seen in a red coat overlooking Niagara Falls, moments before she straddled the railings and took her own life by jumping into the falls.

Pavel Kashin’s Last Flip

Pavel Kashin was a Russian free-runner famous for his death-defying feats and superb agility. In 2013, he was performing a stunt on the edge of a 16-story building in St. Petersburg and fell to his death.

He was attempting a backflip off the edge of the building when he lost balance and free-fell 16 stories to the ground. Pavel did not survive the brutal fall. His friend caught him attempting his last flip. Ultimately, Pavel died doing what he loved best. 

The Image That Would Eternalise the 2012 Hot Air Ballon Tragedy

In 2012, 12 people got on a scenic hot air balloon ride in Carterton, New Zealand. As the rainbow-colored balloon floated peacefully through the bright blue sky on a lovely sunny day, it suddenly sparked into a bright electric flash as it plowed into high-voltage power lines. The balloon exploded like a firework in the sky. 

All 12 passengers died. Rumor has it that the pilot, who also died, may have been responsible for the collision. It is believed he may have been under the influence at the time. 

A Teacher Caught Saving Students From a Mass Shooting

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School and started shooting students and faculty. William ‘Dave” Sanders, a teacher, ran to the cafeteria to warn the students. He was able to evacuate everyone to safety. That day Harris and Klebold shot twelve students and one teacher—the teacher being Dave.

In this image Dave is seen running to the cafeteria, risking his life to save those of the pupils seen in the image. Dave managed to save a large number of lives, at the expense of his own. He died a hero.  

Just Before The Shark Attack

This is the haunting last photo of Duncan snorkeling in the background (in a red circle) as his 2-year-old son is playing on the beach. Seconds later, Duncan disappears and his remains are found later that day on the beach.

This is the haunting last photo of Duncan snorkeling in the background (in a red circle) as his 2-year-old son is playing on the beach. Seconds later, Duncan disappears and his remains are found later that day on the beach.

Caught Plummeting to Their Death

Imagine driving down the highway and witnessing a commercial airliner out of control, flying sideways across the road. That is exactly what was captured in this image. 

A domestic flight in Taiwan, TransAsia Flight 235, was captured flying out of control across a suspended highway, seconds before crashing into the Keelung River. An engine malfunction caused the plane to topple in mid-air and lose control in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses. Forty-two of the 58 passengers on board lost their lives.

Elisa Lam Seemed to Know Death Was Just Around the Corner

In 2013, Elisa Lam, a college student, went missing. She was last seen, as seen in this video, taking the elevator at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. The video shows her talking to herself and it seems she was trying to hide from someone. The worried look on her face insinuates that she knew she was in trouble.  

Her body was eventually found in a water tank at the top of the Cecil Hotel. To this day, her case remains unsolved. 

The Brazilian Flying Priest

In 2008, Adelir Antônio de Carli, a Brazilian priest, flew to his death in an attempt to break a world record. His mission was to fly in the sky with 600 balloons for over 19 hours. He trained for the event but he forgot to learn how to use the GPS on his mobile phone.

That vital error is what ultimately brought him to his early death. Unable to use the GPS from his mobile to alert people of his location, the priest disappeared into thin air. Months later, parts of his body were found washed ashore. 

Paul Walker Unknowingly Stepped to His Death

Paul William Walker IV was an American actor and philanthropist best known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the film series, The Fast and the Furious. The movie series was about fast cars, a fascination that ultimately took his life. At the young age of 40, Walker was killed in a car accident. 

This is the last image of Paul Walker alive. Here he is stepping into the car that would ultimately kill him and his friend Roger Rodas, moments later. The two men passed away after the Porsche Carrera GT crashed into a tree going 100mph. 

The Last Hour of Mayor William D. Becker

William Dee Becker was the 35th Mayor of St. Louis from 1941 to 1943. The son of German immigrants, Becker graduated from Harvard University and St. Louis Law School. He ran his own private law practice for 15 years and was elected to a twelve-year term on the St. Louis Court of Appeals in 1916.

In 1943, Mayor William D. Becker, along with other St. Louis politicians, sat aboard a military glider for a test run. The glider successfully took off. Once in mid-air, the left wing collapsed. The glider fell to the ground, spinning out of control, and killed all ten passengers aboard.

The Worst Aircraft Disaster in the History of California

In 1978, the worst aviation accident in the history of California took place above San Diego. A commercial airliner, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, collided with a private airplane, killing 144 passengers and crew members. 

Both planes crashed in the North Park area of the city and destroyed 22 homes. This tragedy instigated an investigation that would prompt major changes in air traffic protocol and safety procedures. It also reignited the debate over having an airport in such a densely populated area.

The Red Car That Killed 31 Innocent Bystanders

In 1998, the Real Irish Republican Army placed a deadly bomb in a red car in Omagh, Ireland. Minutes before it detonated, a photographer took this photo of a boy on his father’s shoulders, standing only a stone’s throw from the red car bomb. 

The father is seen peacefully posing for the camera with his son, completely unaware of what is about to happen next. An instant later the bomb in the red car next to them explodes and kills 31 people. The father and his son miraculously survived, but the photographer was not so lucky. He lost his life. 

Forced to Pay Her Killer

In 2015 a horrific account took place in the quiet town of Rupperswil, Switzerland when a man held a mother, her two sons, and one of her son’s girlfriend hostage for hours. During this time they suffered extreme abuse at the hands of their perpetrator who later forced the mother to withdraw money from her bank before he ended their lives. 

This is the image of the surveillance camera showing the woman withdrawing cash shortly before her own violent death. The crime is known to be one of the worst in Swiss history.

To Stare Death in the Face

This is the image of a prisoner before being electrocuted to death at Sing Sing, New York. The electric chair was first developed in 1887 in New York as a more “humane” alternative to the hangman’s noose.

It seems this was normal practice to secure a dead man walking in a wheelchair and take the last photograph for the record, before wheeling him into the room where he gets electrocuted to death. The electric chair was gruesomely referred to as “Old Sparky” and 614 people died in its arms in Sing Sing prison.

Inside the Plane Minutes Before the Crash

In 1985, tragedy struck when a Boeing 747 flying from Tokyo to Osaka crashed into Mount Takamagahara. All 15 crew members and 505 passengers died in the crash. Only four passengers managed to survive the crash. 

The plane had a sudden explosive decompression because of a faulty repair. The image depicts the last minutes before crashing. It seems people stayed calm as they prepared for the worse. Fate was not with them that day, and it was the worst single-aircraft accident ever recorded. 

The Hally Family Looking Forward to Their Exciting Holiday

The Hally family was on their way to Kuala Lumpur looking forward to a wonderful holiday. In Amsterdam, they boarded flight 17 with Malaysia Airlines. 

They never suspected their fate. A couple of hours into the flight, flying over Ukraine, the plane was shot down with a missile by pro-Russian insurgents. Most likely the Russians had mistaken it for an enemy plane. All 298 passengers died. This is the last image taken of the Hally family, minutes before take-off.

Last Selfie

This is Olesia. She was so tired of the lockdown caused by the coronavirus, that the second they allowed people to travel, Olesia immediately took her friends and headed to Duden Park in Turkey. Olesia is from Kazakhstan, but she was “stuck” in Turkey during the lockdown. 

This is her last image. A few seconds later she lost her balance and plummeted more than 100 feet (30 meters) down the cliff. She was 31 when she died.

The Concorde’s Last Takeoff

The Concorde was a British–French turbojet-powered supersonic commercial airliner that seemingly operated smoothly. It’s maximum speed over twice the speed of sound and was the only plane to travel the route, Paris-New York in less than four hours. Unfortunately in 2000, as the Concorde lifted off on its way to New York, it ran over debris that punctured a tire and blew its fuel tank.

The plane immediately caught on fire as its nose pointed upwards lifting off the ground. Air France Flight 4590 crashed into a nearby hotel, killing all 109 passengers and crew as well as 4 bystanders on the ground. That spelled the ending of the Concorde and fast flights from Paris to New York. 

Cadet Stephen Hilder Smiles Before Jumping to His Death

This is the last photograph taken of Cadet Stephen Hilder as he jumped to his death. He smiles for the camera with a thumbs up, knowing he was committing suicide. 

Medical examiners initially thought that someone else sabotaged his parachutes, as both the main parachute and the back-up parachute were sabotaged, giving Hilder no chance to survive the jump. After further investigation, it was confirmed that the cadet had sabotaged his own parachutes, and his death was ruled a suicide.  

The First Flames Caught on Camara

Great White is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles. They gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and they also aired on MTV with music videos. 

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In 2003, tragedy struck at The Station nightclub during a concert. The band was performing live when suddenly a spectator noticed flames behind the guitarist, Ty Longley. Within minutes the entire club was on fire. One hundred people were killed, including Longley. The fire was caused by the band’s pyrotechnics and flammable sound insulation. 

The 1961 U. S. Figure Skating Team Boarding Their Last Flight

In 1961, all 18 of the members of the U.S. figure skating team, along with their coaches and family members, boarded their last flight. They were going to Brussels to compete in the World Figure Skating Championships. 

During the flight, the pilot lost control of the plane and it plummeted, killing the entire U.S. figure skating team and everyone aboard. It was such a devasting event for the sport that the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships were canceled out of respect for the U.S. team and their family members. 

Visualizing Her Death

On January 16, 2014, Heather Price Papayoti was walking along the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, contemplating the ultimate choice. A bystander snapped this photo, not suspecting what was going through the blonde woman’s mind. Heather is seen contemplating her death at this very moment with no one suspecting it around her. 

Moments after the bystander took the shot, Papayoti took her life, jumping over the railing. She died instantly. The image depicts a visible sadness that in hindsight, could have saved her life had someone observed her more closely.