Worst practical joke ever. "Hey sweetie want to see something traumatizing?" Jumps to death.

"Dad, I'm hungry" "Hi hungry, I'm falling off a fucking canyon."

Tourist: "How often do people fall off here?" Guide: "Only once."

I lived in Arizona for many years and spent a lot of time in the Canyon, including a back packing trip for 35 days. The Canyon, for the most part, is very safe. HOWEVER it is critical you understand dangers, Stay on trails, avoid showing off and carry more water than you can imagine needing. If you use your brain and common sense, it is the most wonderful and magical place on earth.

"more than 50 falls in the park's existence" is anybody else surprised by how relatively-low that number is? i would have expected way more people

This is why I'm happy at home with chip, Penny and used napkin.

My wife and I visited a couple of years ago and it was beyond breathtaking. Words, pictures, and movies honestly cannot describe what an incredible sight it is. In saying that we had a close encounter: one night we went for a walk up the path behind the hotel which was right at the edge of the canyon. There was a small brick wall - maybe knee height - running up the path. So we were playing and having a laugh playing and walking on the wall. It was absolute darkness so we couldn't see the other side. Now we thought the wall was there followed by a few meters of land until the cliff. The next morning, we went back out on the path and we get to the point where we were playing on the wall. And it turns out, there was absolutely nothing on the other side of that wall, just a sheer drop into the canyon.

I was at a party in high school one time. The host's parents were out of town. Suddenly we were told by the host girl's friend that we all had to leave. No one knew why exactly but there were whispers that something happened to her parents. We found out later her parents had been visiting the Grand Canyon and her mother somehow slipped and fell to her death. Yikes.

Moral of the story: Don't fuck around at the grand canyon

I remember my dad wanted to prove to my mom that the Grand Canyon was safe when we went there so he asked a tour guide “how long has it been since someone fell in” expecting them to say something like a year. Instead they replied something like “oh someone just fell in 2 weeks ago”

I swear one day someone is going to make a horror game or movie surrounding the Grand Canyon with some supernatural power in it that compels people to walk over to the edge to wait for their demise.

When my wife and I were there last year. A girl tripped twice walking backwards trying to get in view of her friends camera. My wife turned to me and said “let’s get out of here. I won’t be able to handle the screams if she falls.”

And don't forget: only *20* people have ever been boiled alive at Yellowstone National Park! _Together, we can change that!_

“His joke didn’t land” Oh it landed somewhere. Just not where he expected it to...

One other factor that causes people to fall in is the wind. It gusts unexpectedly when people go to the edge of the canyon and just blows them off. I worked in nearby Flagstaff Medical Center as a nurse. People were always getting injured or dying in the canyon.

My dad went beyond the safety railings once or twice when we visited about a decade ago to get a better view. We were just starting a month-long trip up the West Coast, and all I could imagine was watching him fall to his death, and the rest of us literally having to keep going on our trip without him. It was very stressful. :P People believe it can't/won't happen to them, but it CAN AND MIGHT. I wish people would just stay where they know it's safe.

tourist: "hey stranger, would you mind taking a picture for me?" *falls off cliff* other tourist: "uh... huh... *shrugs and takes pictures of the corpse*

"His joke hadn't landed" Well he certainly did

In a mountain close to where I live, a girl's parents fell when walking backwards following her instructions, as to fit in the picture she was taking. It's one of the most haunting things someone can live with...

Thank you for how you describe the people who died in your videos. You remind those of us who are indeed fascinated by horrific incidents that these were full human beings who don't deserve to be defined by their last moments.

I wouldn’t do it myself, but if I were to sit on the edge of the Grand Canyon I wouldn’t stand up to get back on the rock, I’d just crawl until I got to sure ground. Why doesn’t anyone do that?

I saw a gust of wind blow a young lady off a narrow path next to a cliff on the island of Santorini in Greece. She fell several hundred feet to her death. Her screams as she fell still haunts me 16 years later.

My great grandfather fell into the canyon in about 1970. Thankfully he landed on a small ledge and survived.

Having been there myself, the sense of vertigo is insane as you stare out over it.... Whenever i stood up from sitting, even if i wasnt very close to the edge, I always took stock of my surroundings and scooted backwards so that I had a large amount of solid ground around me, then stood. Its a beautiful place, but terrifying...

"His prank didnt go to plan" It definitely got the point across.

I firmly believe that some people lack that "spidey sense" part of the brain that gives us pause when danger is nearby.

I remember talking to a park ranger there and basically he admonished people taking risky photos because the park rangers don't like cleaning blood off the rocks. He was certainly fed up.

On my trip to the Grand Canyon, in 1976, we went to the far end of the canyon, to Little Colorado Falls. The Sherriff's search and rescue team was climbing over the falls looking for a college student who had fallen to his death. A victim of hazing.

“His joke didn’t land well.” That’s my kind of dark humor

If I was plummeting to my death after trying to take a selfie, I think my last words would be “For F**ks Sake!!!”, my words echoing around the canyon. I’d be well pissed off.

Last time I was there my oldest son was 2.5. He's 23 now. He tried to slip under the rail but any time he was anywhere near the viewing areas I had my hand firmly around his. At one point he was hanging under a railing and the only reason he didn't fall is because I firmly had his hand. Little kids have little sense and they have no concept of danger. They are very fast too. It was pretty stressful but we all survived it. Amazing views though, just amazing. My son got to go back last year for work. I wasn't there and he didn't remember being there before.

Thank you for your respect for the victims at the end. I absolutely hate when people act like victims "deserve it" simply for doing something stupid or making a mistake. I don't understand how anyone can think that foolishness or simple distraction somehow merits death!

Who tries to scare their daughter like that? You wouldn’t need to tell me to be cautious - I HATE HEIGHTS!

My sister in law came very close to falling in off the path at the South Rim about 10 years ago. We were hiking down and others were hiking up, we shifted over and she rolled her ankle, lost her balance, and started to fall down a steep embankment. An older gentleman walking up leaped to grab her and caught her ankle. His heroic action and a small V-shaped branch saved her life. We screamed from behind her as we watched in horror, loud enough for it to echo throughout the canyon and all the hiking traffic stopped... all the horses stopped. We clambered to pull her and the gentleman back onto the path. They both were in shock over what had just happened. It didn’t actually hit her until later in the day what happened. We had planned to hike for a couple more hours, but decided not to push our luck and hiked back to our car. I think about that man often and hope that karma has been gracious to him.

I was riveted by a level of fear and respect for the obvious. My big mistake was wading into the edge of the River at the bottom. AS the gravel bottom rapidly washed loosely under my feet I just managed to spin around and get the hell out of the water. There have been countless events of this kind of death there also. I cooled off in the smaller ice-cold stream at Phantom Ranch on the floor of the canyon, after that experience.

I was hiking the Bright Angel trail with my husband and nephew a couple of years ago. I was wearing hiking shoes and using hiking sticks. All was well except one misstep and I slipped on lose rock trying to step aside for passing hikers. About had a heart attack while trying not to fling over the edge. Fortunately I caught myself and just stepped back to the inside of the trail ledge to catch my breath. Definitely respect gravity and balance! I would hike it again but it's a feeling I'll never forget!

Top reasons for death in the grand canyon 1. Crossed the railing 2. Crossed the railing 3. Crossed the railing So... stupidity

When I was 10 years old, my dad scared the crap out of me by climbing over the railing and getting near the edge of a massive drop off to get a picture. I was so angry at him!!! I am 55 and never forgot it. I still remember how that felt - I was TERRIFIED. I still think it was the stupidest, most irresponsible thing to do, to take a risk like that for a picture.

Your last example was a guy who had to be rescued the week before. It's true that it was just a momentary lapse of judgement. I think it's also true that it for many of them it was also the last in a long series of habitual poor judgement. When you don't value your own life enough to think through potentially dangerous choices, that's habitual. It's partly chance or fate, but it's also partly a careless intentional decision.

I live in AZ and in the fourth grade, my elementary school took us on a field trip to the Grand Canyon. It was winter and there was literally thin ice and snow covering where we were walking 😭 I remember being so scared walking on some parts bc I was well aware I literally could slip and fall into the canyon

The dad really is the boy who cried wolf. Played so many dumb pranks that his daughter didn’t believe he was dead and left.

Protip, the instant you start to get vertigo in a situation like this, drop straight down into a sitting position rather than attempt to battle the dizziness standing

Just shows that being scared of things, like heights, isn’t always a bad thing

When we were there, I bought the book "Death in the Grand Canyon". Truly interesting and fascinating about people's perception of the canyon. Some people complain that the trails aren't paved & it seems like they never take enough water.

And then there’s me, who doesn’t even trust the guardrails and thinks they will somehow disappear and I will fall in. Guess that’s a fear of heights to another level!

"Expecting him to catch up when he realized his joke hadn't landed." That fell fla- wait... I'm a horrible person...

this is my first time watching one of your videos, and I just want to say that you have an incredibly calming voice. It's so nice to listen to, and turns these tragic almost into bedtime stories lol

I think one factor in falls is the rim is at ground level, not elevated. With most steep cliff-like formations, you need to go up to go down. With everything ground level and below, you can’t actually see the enormity of the canyon beneath you. It just looks like even ground. And people with their legs over the edge. Augh! Just the thought of it makes me dizzy. When I’ve gone to the GC, I haven’t even felt comfortable going to the rails. I think would be terrifying to go onto the “glass bridge.”

On my trip there I was horrified to see little kids running along feet from huge cliffs while the parents took pictures and seemed oblivious to the danger their kids were right next to. It was like watching children play with a loaded gun.

An estimated 5.9 million people visit the grand canyon each year, bringing the incidence rate well below 1 in a million. It's amazing that it isn't much higher.

Happens ALMOST EVERY YEAR here. This ain't Disneland. Keep your hands on your kids, keep your face to the edge, respect railings, and look out for gusting winds!

I used to go to the North Rim growing up, but when I went during my 14th birthday the crippling fear of the heights consumed my body. I remember just crying the whole time I was there, and now at 23 I still have nightmares of falling off the Grand Canton on repeat.

Imagine holding someone's camera and they just fall to their deaths in front of you

"Ha ha, Dad, funny joke pretending to fall into the canyon. Yeah, I see you all the way down there pretending to be dead. Now get back up here so we can finish the tour..."

My family and I visited the Portland Head Lighthouse a couple of years ago and we were astonished and shocked to see a brother and sister (young teens) climbing up the cliffs without any climbing gear that is so dangerous because of the spray from the waters, and no parent or guardian was in sight to stop them, nor was there any employee there to stop them. Kids are under the false impression that the world is a large jungle gym made for them to climb on and that they're invincible. They're nuts!

Hey, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your podcast, it is definitely one of my favourite and I recommend it to everyone. I enjoy learning about history and the fascinating topics you cover.. please continue with your channel, I’m your number one fan from Australia💛💛💛

Even if the prank didn't go wrong and cause in a death, I'd still be hella pissed if someone pretended to fall off a cliff to scare me.

"I think your father just fell to his death." "Don't worry, he does this all the time."

I somehow fell asleep while letting videos played and I just woke up to this lmaoo

It's feels odd, being from Sydney, where, about 90 minutes down the coast, there is the blowhole at Kiama. I've been there quite a few times as a kid and similarly, people have died showing off, trying to get pictures. The last time I went, it only had a five foot, climbable fence around it. I always had it drilled into me by my parents to be careful and respect the dangers. I've also heard too many stories of people not doing so. The comparison seems so stark, when hearing stories like these.

The pointlessness of these deaths is so depressing.

The warnings and guardrails are there for a reason people!!

When I went to arches in Utah we were at the big arch and a girl jumped off a rock, tripped, skidded and stopped about 6 inches from the edge of a sheer cliff face. Me and another girl there had just been discussing our fear of heights and how scared we were on the trail but proud of ourselves we made it

i was there yesterday, a man from our group jumped over the the rails of the sky walk. definitely wasn't accidental, they shut down for the day but brushed it under the rug real fast. absolutely devastating and traumatic. i've been surprised that there's no news coverage of it, i guess the local press is used to it by now.

Props to the random stranger who was so dedicated to taking pictures for the guy who asked him, that he took several pictures as the guy was falling to his death.

Isn't it weird how when terrain get's dangerous your body decides to throw away it's decades of balancing experience? Like, you'd think when it get's dangerous your sense of balance would be heightened, but no, it just leaves you.

I love at the end when the narrator offers sympathy to those who died instead of making fun of them.

Definitely a message of caution for hiking in general. Just gotta keep away from the edges and you’re good. It’s worth the trip to see these beautiful places

“...the vast majority of them young and male...” Me, a young male: “Yeah, no shit!”

Lesson Learned: If you're going to sit on the edge of any steep surface, especially one with a slope toward the edge, do not attempt to stand from it. Pull yourself backwards until your legs/feet are completely beyond the edge, then turn over and crawl away, and stand slowly, allowing your sense of balance to return. One thing most people don't understand is how much your sense of balance can betray you on or near a steep drop. "Losing your balance" or experiencing "vertigo" is a matter of the mind and body sending false reports to each other. To test your sense of balance, go on a swing (as at a playground). If you get nauseous while swinging, your sense of balance is poor. However, you can improve it at any time. The best thing to do -- true! -- is go on a swing every day (for as long as you can tolerate it, obviously) for about a week or two. Then do so every few days to maintain it. Children love to swing because it helps them develop and maintain their sense of balance. As adults we stop and we shouldn't.

Grand Canyon is beautiful! Stories are so sad. Thank you very much for sharing!

Once i hear the words "climbed over the safety rails." It's just stories about darwinism.

I’m afraid of heights. Wouldn’t see me acting like a fool.

You could do an entire series of people who have died while hiking in the canyon. They don't prepare properly and overestimate their skill levels. It's incredibly hot in the canyon and it's easy to get lost or go off trail by accident. I've been hiking down in the Canyon and saw many people who needed to be rescued. They all assumed it would be an easy hike and didn't bring enough water and were improperly clothed. I've never seen anyone die, but I have seen very difficult rescues out of the canyon. One group of tourists were wearing flip flops, improper clothing, and didn't have hats. I'm certain a few of them would have died if other hikers were not there to intervene. One of the saddest stories that sticks out in my mind is that of a boy scout troop. I think they were from Utah. As I remember, they didn't carry extra water with them, and they were not skilled enough to do such a grueling multi-day hike. The troop leaders made a series of terrible mistakes and at least one boy died of heat exhaustion and exposure.

Reminds me so much of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. People ignoring signs, going to the edge to get photos, etc. Theres been plenty of deaths there too.

I don’t like heights even on a balcony. And I get vertigo. I was at the amazing Grand Canyon once. Probably the most amazing natural wonder I’ve seen. But I stayed far from the edge. You don’t have to go to the edge of it to enjoy it

My first visit to the Grand Canyon I bought a book that chronicled deaths at the park out of morbid curiosity. This video covered a few of the deaths off the rim of the canyon, but most of the deaths were in the canyon itself. Flash floods, heat stroke, dehydration, drowning in the Colorado river, scorpions, snakes; there are many more ways to die at the Grand Canyon than a failed selfie or prank gone wrong. EDIT: The book is "Over The Edge: Death in Grand Canyon"

We were there in 2014 and I couldn't believe how many people ignored the railings in order to get closer to the edge, many just teenagers. I am sure they had no idea that the ground by the edge may not be so stable and could give way and off they would go. The story about the ones who became dizzy after standing up makes perfect sense to me. How sad to lose your life that way.

In 2001, as a 50+ Year old man, I solo hiked from rim to rim to rim - over a span of several day. Started at the South RIm, to PHantom Ranch for a night. THen ALL the way to the North Rim in one day. BTW this was around August 10 - so it was brutally hot. I spent 3 days at the North Rim to recover then hiked back to PHantom Ranch, spent a night, then back to the South Rim. It was incredible how careful i was versus how other people, sadly, including kids. I am surprised that there aren't 50 fatal falls EVERY year. There is a stretch not too far from the North Rim, where the "trail" is literally a tunnel (with only one side) cut into the sheer rock wall - that seems to be at least 200 yards. Picture this. This sheer wall of rock was cut into by man - where they carved in effect a tunnel where rock is on one side and under one's feet and over one's head. But the other side is open - and the fall is about 400 feet to one's death. With no ground or trees or anything to hope to catch and hold onto. I was petrified when I encountered this even though I was fully aware, via pictures/video, of that section. The width of this "open tunnel" is maybe 4 to 5 feet. But people would pass me ON the open side. Mindless risk. Once I had a 10 year old boy complain that I wasn't moving fast enough so I leaned into the wall and he passed me like in a school hallway. I find it incredible that our government (wrongly) goes to great lengths to "protect the people" yet there is no railing or rope or whatever safety device possible in that stretch. It was so scary that it took my breath away. Before I reached that stretch the first time, a stranger I met, expressed his concern for me in that stretch - since my back-pack extended a little above my head. He was afraid that I might lean toward the wall or maybe stumble just a bit that would move my head toward the wall and that by striking or rubbing my tall backpack against the wall, I might lose my balance and or be propelled off the 400 cliff. He was so concerned that he got behind me and put a hand on my backpack (I was carrying about 50 lbs but only weighed 140 BUT extremely fit) EVEN though he had a young boy (11?) and a young daughter (14?) and his wife with him. That's how scared he was for ME versus family. That's how scary I found the GC to be. It is a wonderful place to be but I will NEVER traverse that section again unless I were to do it on my hands and knees. The Park system should anchor a "net wall" along that section to catch people if they fell.

Can we just take a moment to comprehend that idiots dieing to selfies has been going on since 1925

Sometimes being a scaredy cat is a good thing. I am far too terrified to ever attempt anything like this, and it’s probably why I’m still here.

My palms get sweaty just watching stuff like this on my phone anyone else?

Having been to The Grand Canyon in the Winter, I can say that it would be incredibly easy to slip on ice which is basically everywhere when it snows and slide underneath the railings and into the abyss. The bottom railing is about 2 or so feet off the ground and easy to pass under. I’m surprised that isn’t a larger cause of falls into the canyon

Park: installs paths, railings, and walls, posts physical warning signs, hands out warning pamphlets, give verbal warnings, sends security personnel to give out yet further warnings in passing periodically throughout park hours People: MY STUPIDITY WILL NOT BE TAMED

Why is it so many of these examples start with "climbed over the guard rail?" You can lead a horse to water...

Genius has it's limits, but stupidity is unbounded.

This video should be mandatory viewing for everyone who enters the park.

Showing off I get. It's stupid but we've all done it. Losing one's balance due to vertigo (or similar) I definitely understand. Wanting that perfect spectacular photograph of oneself against the backdrop of the Grand Canyon I also understand. The one I don't get is the guy trying to take a photo of his hotel, stepping over the safety railing and then walking backwards looking through the viewfinder of his camera. That requires an appalling failure of common sense. Someone must have seen him do it for the story to be told here and them I feel really sorry for.

"She listened dutifully and went and did the exact same thing"

My grandpa likes telling the story about how when he was there, a weird old woman told him to "never took at the canyon" because it's "cursed". She thought it was like filled with demons or something evil like that and whatever it was tries to lure people in to go over the edge and die. She thought height Vertigo was a siren spell lol What happens with height vertigo is that your body is having a hard time maintaining its balance because of a lack of visual cues, causing people to stumble. It can also happen when you're hiking up a mountain and look down, doesn't even need to be such a sudden steep drop like the grand canyon.

i have been near cliffs before but i never get closer to the edge than two metres. i am confident on my feet but something about the shear size and doom of a enourmus cliff also gives me vertigo. as soon as i get the slightest feeling of this though, i scramble away from the cliff. knowing that feeling i can totally imagine someone getting too close to the edge, feeling this, but just dismissing it thinking they will be ok. i have also sat near some drops before but i never stand up near the drop, i sit down before hand, scoot towards the drop. then when im done taking in the view, i scoot back from the drop and stand up at a safe distance

My only complaint about this channel is that the videos are only 12 minutes and there aren’t enough of them, keep up the great work brother!

One of the deaths by falling was on April 11, 1993, when Robert Spangler pushed his wife Donna off a 140 ft cliff to her death, claiming that her fall was an accident which occurred when he wasn't looking. He eventually confessed.

Faking that you’re dying is NOT a prank, that shit is traumatic.

5:10 “Many other people have also fallen victim.” Nice…😅

"...when they lost their footing." Starting to see a trend here. If there is one thing u don't want to lose, it's footing. Footing is very, very, important.

Let this be a lesson to not immediately stand up after sitting on the rim, crawl to a safe area first so that if you lose your balance you just fall on your bum and not to your death

"When his joke didn't land" oh my that's dark

Never thought that anyone had ever fallen in the grand canyon, much less so many. Horrifying. It's to bad, some did by mistakes made in just seconds and couldn't undo ever. It's shocking. Thanks for the video. I'll warn as many, especially my all grown up kids. Wow😢😮

Fortunately, my dad brought with him to our country “Death in Grand Canyon”, a book detailing every single death in the Grand Canyon since recorded history, and a book every single visitor to the Grand Canyon should read