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WATCH: Bryce Canyon National Park Tourist Jumps Railing, Comes Within Inches of Falling Off Cliff

If you see a railing at Bryce Canyon or any national park, especially one protecting you from a thousand-foot fall… Don’t be this guy. Not that anyone else ever would, because look at this man. There’s no gore or violence in this capture, but be warned: it is a hard watch.

While visiting Bryce Canyon National Park, this “touron” decided it would be an excellent idea to have someone film him jumping the railing that protects all visitors from the steep drop-off into the canyon below. It goes as poorly as you’d expect, but thankfully does not end with his death – just a near-death experience.

The filming party, who we can only assume is his wife or sister or someone who loves him very much, lets out a blood-curdling scream as the man slips and falls within inches of the cliffside. There he freezes as (I assume) his entire life flashes before his eyes.

It’s easy to shame this man for his idiotic behavior, or shame us for shaming him in turn. But it’s even easier for the average visitor to forget that – if this man falls, then a dozen or more Bryce Canyon National Park Search & Rescue officials will have to risk their own lives to retrieve what’s left of him. It sounds harsh, but it’s the reality of what happens when people make really, really poor decisions like this one.

Safety is Crucial in Bryce Canyon National Park

“A touron at Bryce Canyon National Park!” the popular Tourons of Yellowstone Instagram captions of the video without naming the individual. “I don’t normally post two non Yellowstone tourons in a row, but this guy is a real IDIOT and I couldn’t help myself. First Bryce Canyon post I’ve ever done, I think.”

And what a first it is. Behavior like this is, sadly, common at the national park, too. Traversing Bryce’s phenomenal geography can be the experience of a lifetime, but ignorant behavior can and does lead to injuries and deaths every year – as do accidents.

When breaking down Bryce Canyon National Park’s Top 10 Causes of Injuries and How To Avoid Them, the park marks climbing & sliding down cliffs as #9.

Climbing the rocks and sliding on the slopes is illegal for many reasons. So is breaching barriers like the man above, so he could receive citing, fines, or imprisonment. It’s also incredibly dangerous, and results in injury more often than it does not.

As hard as it is to resist, refuse the urge to climb and slide cliffs in Bryce Canyon National Park. The rock at Bryce forms crumbly cliffs and steep gravely slopes. As a result, any hand and toe holds you see support nothing heavier than chipmunks.

Be safe out there, Outsiders. And if you ever see someone about to make a decision as poor as this, never feed badly about stopping them, then alerting a ranger. You could be saving their life.