30 June 2023 , 07:11
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This is the horrifying moment a tourist jumped the barrier at Bryce Canyon - and nearly plunged off the edge after losing his footing.
Footage shows the unknown man running and vaulting himself over the safety rail at one of the park's most popular viewpoints.
He looks backwards at the camera before launching himself over the fence and briefly landing, but then loses his balance.
The man, wearing a bright green t-shirt and a backwards baseball cap, desperately tries to steady himself as he stumbles to the ground.
The woman filming lets out a squeal as he slides towards the cliff before bringing himself to a halt just inches away from the edge.
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Footage shows the unknown man running and vaulting himself over the safety rail (evaraw666/Reddit)The clip, which was captured in August last year, has gained renewed attention after being shared to Reddit on Wednesday.
Dozens of users took to the comments section to point out the man's dangerous - and foolish - actions.
One person wrote: "I always wondered as a kid how people fall into canyons like this, I never would have guessed this was why."
Another sarcastically said: "I blame the park services. They should have put something there to prevent people from accidentally falling off that giant cliff."
A third added: "Hmmm I wonder why that fence was there", and a fourth similarly commented: "I think maybe that guard rail is there for a reason."
At the time the clip was taken, Bryce Canyon National Park spokesperson Peter Densmore said he was "incredibly thankful" that no other injuries occurred.
He briefly lands, but then loses his balance (evaraw666/Reddit)
The man slides towards the cliff before bringing himself to a halt just inches away from the edge (evaraw666/Reddit)He told KSI: "Considering that this occurred at one of the park’s most popular viewpoints and dislodged rocks onto the heavily trafficked Navajo Loop below, we are extremely thankful that no serious injuries occurred."
The clip comes as a report shows the Grand Canyon - around a three-hour drive from the Bryce Canyon - is the "deadliest park" in the US, with the most missing persons, death and suicides.
At least 56 people have been reported missing there since 2018.
Ken Phillips, once a search and rescue agent with the National Park Service, spent 27 years conducting searches and rescues within the Grand Canyon National Park.
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Ken explained there are likely more deaths at the park than the records show.
Dozens of Reddit users took to the comments section to point out the man's dangerous - and foolish - actions (evaraw666/Reddit)“On average, there are 12 fatalities within the canyon every year,” he told The Post.
“Those can be from everything relating to heat stroke, lightning, drownings on the river, air crashes, suicides, accidental falls – all types of things."
On June 5, a 33-year-old man fell over 4,000 feet to his death into the Colorado River below.
An investigation is ongoing and the man has not yet been identified, but the sheriff's office shared a number for National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
In May, a 36-year-old hiker from Westfield, Indiana, lost her life on May 14 when she attempted to hike from the Grand Canyon rim to the Colorado River and back within a single day.
The Park Service advises against attempting the round trip from the rim to the river within a single day.
Hiking in extreme heat can pose significant health risks, they said, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyponatremia (an electrolyte imbalance resulting from excessive water intake without sufficient salt consumption), and even death.