Park visitor endangers child with outrageous stunt near Grand Canyon: 'Visitors often overestimate their safety'

Stories of tourists pulling dangerous stunts at national parks continue despite regulations designed to keep visitors and wildlife safe. 

One Redditor shared an image of an extremely risky act that could have resulted in injury or death. The photo, posted to the r/IAmTheMainCharacter subreddit, where users share videos and pictures of "people acting like they are the center of the world," showed a group of friends taking photos at the Grand Canyon. What would normally be a fine occurrence was upended by the context. 

"Could not believe when I saw her friends passing her four year old child to the woman on the outcropping," wrote the original poster. The "touron" seemed to pick up a 4-year-old child near the edge of the canyon to snap a picture.

The park has numerous rules designed to prevent such behavior. They include staying on designated trails and walkways, keeping at least six feet away from the edge of the rim, not climbing over barriers or fences, and not running, jumping, or playing near the edge.

These visitors violated multiple rules. Had the child been agitated or the carrier misstepped, their actions could have had a tragic ending. 

"One of the more obvious Grand Canyon dangers is the depth of the Canyon itself," Canyon Tours explained on its website. "Visitors often overestimate their safety as they get close to the edge of the Canyon, maybe for that perfect selfie shot, and can quickly find themselves losing their footing. Fatal falls are not the leading cause of death at the Grand Canyon, but they are one of the most preventable Grand Canyon dangers."

Redditors were in disbelief.

"Oh wow I didn't even realize a kid was there," wrote one user.

Another was a bit more blunt but not wrong. "How to risk a fall and die while blocking everyone else's shot," they commented. 

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