Another waterfall accident!

[The Backlash Cometh]

This is just crazy.

Police: Woman presumed drowned after falling into Niagara River, getting swept over falls

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (AP) — Authorities say a woman is presumed to have drowned after being swept over Niagara Falls when she fell from a railing along the Canadian side of the Niagara River.

Niagara Parks Police in Ontario say two female students in their 20s from the Toronto area were visiting the falls Sunday night when one of them climbed onto a railing near the river's edge and sat on a block pillar, with her legs straddling the railing.

Police say the woman stood up and apparently lost her footing, falling into the river about 80 feet upstream from the brink of the falls. Officials say the river's swift current swept her over the falls.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-cn--niagarafalls-sweptover,0,3889038.story

[MineralMan]

1. Tragic. Especially since those rails are there specifically to

warn people of the danger and keep them out of the river. It's tragic that people don't think. I feel very bad for this woman's family.

[blueamy66]

2. I have many scary memories of the Niagara River and the Falls

boat engine dying....friend almost drowning.....couldn't pay me to go on the Maid of the Mist

[Javaman]

3. Darwin award winner.

With all the safety postings in that areas, the kid still choses the dumbass move of climbing on a pillar.

darwin awards aren't only for males who try stunts that start off with, "watch this!".

[Shandris]

4. Kind of mean...but I agree completely.

There comes a time in a person's life (and it's usually about in the mid-20's) when getting killed for sheer stupidity is more a blessing to society than a cruelty. I truly sympathize with her parents, though, insofar as they've lost a child and truly, no parent should ever have to bury their child in a perfect world.

But someone that utterly careless? Imagine what her CHILDREN would have been in danger from, and from what age.

As for 'Watch This', around here in Indiana we have a different observation of how Darwin Awards begin, demonstrated by a single question (BTW, as a poor Hoosier myself, I can get away with using this word so nyah! :P ) : "Why is it always a hick with a beer and a gun?"

[NeedleCast]

5. Obviously we need to ban waterfalls.

[liberalhistorian]

6. I'm sorry, but that and the Yosemite Park

deaths are not at all "accidents", but the result of complete and utter human stupidity and hubris. Particularly in the case of the Vernal Falls incident; who in their right mind would ignore several warning signs, climb right over a high guardrail and jump INTO the river RIGHT before the 300-foot-drop falls, despite loud pleadings and protestations and exhortations of danger from those nearby? All just to take a picture on a rock right near the falls dropoff?

In this case, this woman climbed over the protective guardrail and actually almost dangled herself over the river. DUMB DUMB DUMB. Now, I'm certainly not saying that people deserve to die for their stupid actions, far from it. I'm saying that these cases are not "accidents" at all. If you heed warning signs and stay off of guardrails and don't dangle yourself right over a river leading to a dangerous falls, or jump right into a river right before a large, dangerous falls, you won't have a problem.

[SidDithers]

7. The Niagara is a damn powerful river...

fast moving with huge volume. Just a small percentage, diverted through Sir Adam Beck, generates 15-20% of Ontario's electricity.

It's scary powerful. No way I ever get up on the fence, 'cause there's zero room for error. If you fall in, you don't get rescued.

Sid