22. Parisian Tragedy
It was the first day of a four-month travel holiday and I was in Paris. I was staying at a friend’s apartment, and he wasn’t due back in town for another two days. I decided I was going to find my own way to the Eiffel Tower, so I printed off a map and started walking. Probably two hours later, in a very roundabout way, I finally made it.
So far, so good. I wandered around for a bit and took all the usual photos. Anybody who has been to Paris before will be familiar with the big building across the river from the Eiffel Tower, the Palais de Chaillot. It has a theatre and a few museums housed inside. The square between the buildings is also one of the best vantage points to see the tower, and lots of people think it’s a great idea to climb up on top of the wall at the front of the landing to pose with the tower in the background.
Anyway, I had taken my photos and seen what I had come to see, so I started heading down the steps in front of the landing. I looked up and there was another girl standing on top of the wall (which I would estimate has a three to four-story drop to solid marble). I thought to myself, “Well, that’s not a good idea.” Out of instinct, I snapped a photo of her.
I looked down to check my shot and when I looked up again, she was gone…She had slipped and was flying through the air. The image of her heading straight for the ground is burned into my memory. She didn’t scream or make a sound. She didn’t flail about. She just dropped, with her body parallel to the ground and her hands stretched out in front of her.
My instant reaction, before it had registered what I was witnessing, was to turn my head and look away before she hit the ground. But the sound of her slamming into the floor is something I will never forget. I was one of the closest people to her and probably the only person to see her fall. There was another guy making his way up the opposite steps with his wife and two small children. I just stood there on the steps, not sure what to do.
I didn’t speak of a word of French, and at the time, I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t even know the emergency phone number to call for help. She wasn’t moving, nor did she make a sound. Two of her friends ran down the stairs and started screaming and crying as soon as they saw her lying there. I felt helpless. I just stood there, watching. Within a few minutes, a fire engine had pulled up and a few men jumped out with a stretcher.
They didn’t touch her as she still wasn’t moving. I probably hung around there for about 20 to 30 minutes. The paramedics showed up but they still hadn’t moved her I still don’t know what happened to her. From that height, I assume the worst is possible, but probably not likely. As for neck or brain damage, who knows. It wasn’t the best way to start my holiday and it was a horrible way to end hers.