An Italian teenager is in a coma after he fell 16 feet from a fence outside of Rome's Colosseum as he tried to take a selfie with the historic structure, The New York Daily News reported on Tuesday.
Mattia Martinello had allegedly been up all night celebrating his 18th birthday with friends when, at 5 a.m. Sunday, they decided to try and enter the amphitheater.
The teen reportedly wanted to get a photo of himself in front of the world-famous monument. But, as he shimmied up onto a ledge, he lost his balance and plunged to the ground.
He hit his head and is also believed to have broken several ribs in the fall.
Martinello, from Padua in northern Italy, was rushed to San Giovanni Hospital, where he was placed into a medically-induced coma.
Doctors discovered that he had also suffered severe internal bleeding, and it's not yet clear if he has also endured spinal damage.
The 'selfie' hype - people taking photographs of themselves and posting them on social media websites - has gained popularity all over the world, but has had deadly consequences in recent months.
An Italian teenager died after she tried to take a selfie at the seaside in June, but slipped and fell 20 meters onto the rocks below, according to Easy Branches.
A 21-year-old Spanish man died after climbing on top of a train to take a selfie with friends in March. He was hit with a 3,500-volt electric shock after touching a wire and died instantly.
