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DaGrimProphet

English Gentleman
Dec 23, 2014
1,713
6,761
113
UK
Well, a kid who I went to secondary school with, and I knew rather well at the time, just passed away the other day. It's on most national UK news websites. He was only 17.

It's a tragic tale that, unfortunately, nobody will ever learn from. He was in my class when we started secondary school and we were actually cool for that first year, but we drifted apart as he gravitated towards certain circles, while I had other priorities. About a year later, he told me that he'd spend his weekends with friends shoplifting and getting kicked out of various malls. I spent my weekends alone at home, not doing very much. When it came to school work, I always worked hard while he never really made an effort, and by the end of school I'm pretty sure he'd failed all his GCSEs. The last time I saw him was about a year ago, when I was in the town centre with my brother doing Xmas shopping. He spotted me and said hi. I asked him which sixth form he was going to, and he told me that he just didn't bother signing up to any and hoped that the government wouldn't hit him with a heavy fine. He had no job, no job prospects, no plans to get a job or train for work, nor any alternatives like the Army.

In school he started doing "parkour" (jumping around on top of buildings) and got into trouble with the school and police after he posted a video on youtube of himself breaking into the school and performing stunts on the rooftops. He'd obviously taken it further, as his death has just revealed. Apparently he spent last year travelling the world with his friends, presumably using his rich musician father's money, and filming videos of themselves doing extremely deadly stunts, such as leaping between skyscrapers in Hong Kong, and climbing on top of moving trains in Paris. The news claims this was a "career," yet his group's youtube channel only has a couple thousand subscribers. He had no future, due to his poor life choices. Now, unfortunately, he literally has no future.

He died when he was leaning out of a moving train in Paris to take a photo and his head hit a sign.

Part of me is sad, for the tragic downfall of a nice kid ending in death at the age of 17. Yet it reinforced the old adage: "Play dumb games, win dumb prizes." Unlike a young cancer sufferer, his death was purely a result of personal choices. It really shows how life isn't to be wasted, seeing as his life is over while I'm essentially planning mine now. Really shocks the nihilism out of you, seeing somebody you knew die young.

Either way, RIP

British thrill-seeker dies in New Year Paris metro 'accident' after witnesses spot him 'between two coaches'

Tributes to teen Brit freerunner Nye Frankie Newman killed on Paris metro after 'leaning out of carriage to take a photo and hitting a sign'
 

DaGrimProphet

English Gentleman
Dec 23, 2014
1,713
6,761
113
UK
That sucks though RIP to the kid.
He was a nice kid who was led down the wrong path and made some terrible life choices. He didn't deserve to die so young though.

I feel pretty bad right now for taking so much for granted, namely my life. I can't believe that, while I'm planning to go to university and received an unconditional offer to study law, this dude's life is over. Really sucks for the family.
 

Nuttkase

not nolettuce
Jun 5, 2002
38,734
159,529
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44
at the welfare mall
That would've been more climactic. But it's safe to say that most people would have the sense not to lean out of a moving train to take a picture.
Generally or you'd have a lot more people dying but even the most sensible people do really dumb shit sometimes, that's just being human.

He was a nice kid who was led down the wrong path and made some terrible life choices. He didn't deserve to die so young though.

I feel pretty bad right now for taking so much for granted, namely my life. I can't believe that, while I'm planning to go to university and received an unconditional offer to study law, this dude's life is over. Really sucks for the family.
For sure but hey he died traveling and doing something he seemed to really enjoy. Many worse ways to go out.