A good vacation can leave a traveler feeling care-free, but that sense of freedom can have disastrous consequences – as it did for one Russian woman.
Natalia Borodina was on vacation in the Dominican Republic and was filmed, half-naked, hanging out the passenger window of a moving Kia Picanto, when her head hit on a street sign and she was killed.
The 35-year-old mother from the Chelyabinsk region in western Russia was traveling with one Ivanna Boirachuk, 32, from Ukraine. Boirachuk was arrested by local police on suspicion of driving under the influence, causing Borodina’s death.
Boirachuk captured the chilling incident on video which was then shared on social media, including on Facebook and Youtube, but before you click on either, be warned that some viewers may find the content disturbing.
Borodina’s bereaved friends and family reject the premise that she was an irresponsible or immoral person. “She helped her poor family with everything,” one friend, Elena Korolyova, told the Daily Mail. “She was hoping for a better future. And anyone can make a mistake, why should we judge her by just one video? Are we all saints?’
In addition to her 11-year-old son, Borodina is survived by her sister and 80-year-old mother. The family is reportedly struggling to have Borodina’s remains returned to Russia for burial. The transportation alone is estimated to cost some $20,000, in addition to other costs related to the burial.